


Escape from the Dark

by Aceofstars16



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Dark Ezra AU, F/M, Other, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars AU, rebels au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 22:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7863427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aceofstars16/pseuds/Aceofstars16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been three years since Sabine started ruling Mandalore. She has changed and so has the old Ghost crew. Nothing is as it was, and as the New Republic tries to unite the galaxy again, it faces more opposition than planned. Opposition by unexpected enemies and an old friend.</p><p>Chapter One Summary:<br/>Sabine has been ruling in Mandalore for three years - three years that she has been away from her friends on the Ghost. She has grown in many ways, but she is still herself, and she still fondly remembers the times she had with her Rebel family. Then one day a stranger requests to see her. Who could they be, and why would they come so unexpectedly?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Guest

**Author's Note:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

Sabine stared at the posh mirror, looking at her reflection. Her hand hovered by her face as she paused from brushing her hair which was now black that faded into different shades of neon blue. In the past she had always kept her hair short, but now it was long, reaching all the way to the middle of her back. And her hair wasn’t the only thing that had grown. Though she was still the same height, had the same brown eyes, and still had her lithe build, her personality had changed. She had grown from a loner to a leader of a planet, of a people.

In some ways it felt like time had sped up - the past three years had flown by. It didn’t seem like that long ago when she had come here with the Ghost crew and had started a revolution to free Mandalore from the Empire’s control so it could be its own planet again without anyone telling it what to do. Aside from a leader, a simple guide for the planet in sensitive and important matters. That is what Sabine had become. At the same time however, the years seemed to drag on, and she knew with each year that passed, she herself changed. She had learned to be more calculating, learned how to lead and how to keep the right balance of authority and freedom so the Mandalorians would continually accept and support her as their leader.

The war had been hard to balance. It had taken a good deal of talking and negotiation, trying to find a way to help the Rebellion without seeming to support it outright. But she had managed, and now the war was over. And she still hadn’t seen any of her family. That is, her adopted family. She didn’t care much to see her real family - though she had been reunited with them when she had first started ruling. No, those blood ties weren’t strong; they were full of pain and disappointment. They weren’t family, not in the way the Ghost crew was, or had been. Yes, they had their differences and their squabbles, but despite the little things they always stood up for each other in the things that really mattered, always protected each other and trusted each other. And it had been three years since Sabine had seen any of them face to face. Yes, she had commed them and even seen them on holo coms, but it wasn’t the same. She hadn’t complained though; she knew the Rebellion was a lot of work, and she had plenty of work to keep her busy as well. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to see her friends again. After all, she didn’t even know what they were up to now, if any of them were still together. Whenever she had talked with Hera it had only been to discuss where help was needed and what she could do to assist - the subject of family had always been avoided. And Sabine had a feeling she knew why. Worry was always at the corner of her mind. As much as she wished everyone was still together and happy and fighting, she knew life wasn’t a fairy tale. Things went wrong and people changed. She was the perfect example of that. And yet she still couldn’t help hoping that maybe she was wrong, maybe for once things were all okay. Of course it was probably a foolish hope, but hope had always been at the center of the rebellion, and so Sabine hoped and continued on as she always did, ruling Mandalore to the best of her ability.

It was a normal day, or as normal as a day could be on Mandalore. To this day Sabine didn’t love her planet as much as some did. Yes, she cared for the people and tried to do what what best for them in all she did. But part of her still yearned for adventure, to explore, to be out in space again, on the run, never knowing what to expect. But that was not her path in life, at least not right now. One day she hoped to travel again, free from missions and alliances, free from guards and politics.

Glancing at the time counter on her dresser, she realized she was going to be late if she didn’t hurry. Grabbing her hair she quickly braided it - which resulted in it being a little messy, but that wasn’t unusual for her these days - then she quickly put on her armor. One would assume that she dressed up when she went to deal with the issues of the planet, but that wasn’t Sabine’s style. She did wear the recommended Mandalorian armor, but she did put she put her own spin on it - partly to stand out, and partly because she tended to paint in it. This resulted in speckles of paint splattered all over the armor. However she also wore a cape that drooped around her shoulders, it wasn’t much but it made her rank a little more noticeable. Before she left the room - which also had its own unique spin on it due to various paintings hung up on the walls - she crouched down and unlocked a hidden box under her bed. Hidden inside was the darksaber, a weapon with many memories attached to it. She had heard its history, and many knew it, but during its time in her hands it was only used for good - a beacon of good in its darkened life. As she clipped it to her side she fondly remembered the day when she had asked Kanan to teach her. Closing her eyes she could picture the day clearly...

 ----------

“I want to be able to use it, it was made to be used. And you are the only one who can teach me.” Sabine didn’t know if she would be able to convince Kanan to teach her, but she had to try. She understood that her darksaber wasn’t a typical lightsaber, it was unique and as Kanan had said it had a darkness surrounding it. But she had won it fair and square and she was determined to use it correctly.

“I’m still not sure you should keep it. Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s had a bad past. I don’t think it’s a good saber for anyone to have, let alone someone who isn’t Force sensitive,” Kanan said. His head was tilted towards her, he always looked in the direction of those he was talking, using the Force to feel where they were. It had taken a while for Sabine to get used to this change, especially with the addition of his mask, but it was more or less normal now, and the less she thought about it, the better it seemed.

“Maybe that’s why I should have it, I can make sure it’s used for good. Plus it could be a big help for the cause. Just imagine how good it would be to have another lightsaber on our side.” Sabine knew why Kanan was cautious, he had dealt with enough relics that had darker pasts, mainly the holocron, but still, its past didn’t have to define how it was used now.

Kanan frowned, she knew he was at least considering it now. “It’s still dangerous Sabine.”

“I know it’s dangerous Kanan, but I have to learn. And it’s not like you kept Ezra from training and he’s younger than me. If you don’t teach me I’ll teach myself, but I’d prefer to learn from you.” Sabine hoped her argument would convince him, she knew to be careful and she knew it would be a valuable asset.

Kanan stayed silent for a few moments then sighed. “Ok, I will teach you.”

A grin broke out on Sabine’s face. “Thanks Kanan.”

The smallest hint of a smile grew on his face. “You’re welcome Sabine. Now go get Ezra and meet me outside, we’ll start with the basics.”

\----------

A knock at the door shook Sabine from the memory. She had gotten caught up in her memories again. Even though the memory seemed fresh in her mind it had already been so long ago, though she still remembered what she had learned. She only used the saber when needed, but when she did wield it she used it to the best of her ability and even now she could still hold her own against other saber-wielders due to training sessions she planned into her busy schedule. After hooking the saber to her side, she holstered her two blasters. Taking a deep breath she straightened her back and put on a stoic face, then she walked out of the room, ready for the day.

Her guards met her outside of the door as usual. Ever since she started ruling she had to deal with guards following her around everywhere. They were meant to protect her, but in some ways she knew she would do a better job at protecting herself, but it was their job so she put up with them. At one point in time she had even tried to remember their names, but with their helmets on it was impossible to know who was who unless she asked, and being personable wasn’t exactly looked highly upon on Mandalore. However she did try to treat her guards fairly and as kindly as she could, never snapping at them for simple things that people couldn’t help but avoid.

When she reached the throne room her day really started. The room itself looked almost like a hall, it had been used for many years and the windows all around brought more than enough light throughout the day. In the room she sorted out squabbles between neighbors, assigned military groups to sectors, and went over all of the goings on of the planet. It was what she did every day and while she didn’t love it she managed it. After all it was making a difference, she was helping people. And during the war Mandalore’s help had been invaluable, even if it didn’t help as much as Sabine would have liked.

She was discussing military strategy with Soyid, one of the top military strategists, when one of her advisers Korkie Kryze walked in. He sometimes discussed things with her but today he had been elsewhere so she knew something was up. Sabine nodded to Soyid and he bowed, then left. She knew he would come back later before he finalized anything.

“Korkie, what’s up?” Sabine asked. She was never one for trying to sound overly formal, especially around Korkie.

“A ship just docked and the captain insisted she must see you,” he said, bowing. Sabine couldn’t help but shake her head a little as she suppressed a smile. Korkie was one of her closest friends on Mandalore and the formality seemed unnecessary, but one always had to keep up appearances here…

“Really? Who is it?” Sabine asked, intrigued. Mandalore wasn’t really known for being overly hospitable to others. Sabine was an exception, she was much more welcoming to others than previous leaders, but she did like to know more about who she met with.

“I’m not sure, I just got a com from the spaceport. They need to know if the pilot is to be allowed admittance,” Korkie said. “I can ask for more details if you would like.”

Sabine frowned but shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.” It sounded like there was only one person and if that was the case then that wasn’t a threat. Besides, she could handle herself, and if she couldn’t there were enough guards to fight a small army inside and outside the throne room.

Korkie bowed. “I’ll give them the all clear then.”

Sabine nodded. “Could you send Soyid back in?” It would take a little while for the stranger to make it to the throne room, so she could finish discussing plans with the strategist while she waited.

“Of course,” Korkie said then left.

Soyid came back in, but even as she was discussing plans with him she felt herself distracted by thoughts of the stranger. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, there were plenty of people that it could be, and yet part of her wished that this time it would be someone she knew - someone from the old days.

It took longer than she thought it would to finalize plans. By the time it was finished she knew the stranger must be there, only waiting to come in. She kept her face neutral as Soyid left, but Sabine couldn’t help but wish he would walk just a little faster; she was curious, and sometimes formalities were a little too slow for her taste.

As soon as the door closed behind Soyid she felt herself tense up. Now she would see who had decided to drop in so unexpectedly. ‘Don’t hope Sabine, don’t you dare hope,’ she told herself. Somehow she managed to ignore the hope by reminding herself of all the times she had been disappointed before. But as much as she tried, there was still a small bit of hope lingering in the pit of her stomach when the door opened again.

Sabine froze in her seat as Hera walked in, followed by an old orange astromech who bleeped off nonsensical insults, just like he had aboard the Ghost. The air caught in Sabine’s chest, and she barely managed to suppress a grin from breaking out on her face. Her guards were around and once again she had to act like a ruler when that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Sabine, it’s good to see you,” Hera said, genuine happiness lighting up her face.

As much as she tried Sabine couldn’t stop the smallest smile from growing on her face. “You too Hera.” She stood up, trying to ignore her sore muscles as she did so. In the corner of her eye she looked at her guards, wishing she wasn’t surrounded by them so she could stop this front. “It’s been a long time, why don’t we catch up in my quarters?” Okay so it wasn’t the most proper invitation and she saw a few of her guards glance at each other, but Sabine couldn’t simply sit and talk like she was this high and mighty ruler while Hera stood below, that wouldn’t do for someone that had become so like a mother to her.

“I’d love that,” Hera said, and once again Sabine suppressed a grin.

Sabine forced herself not to walk too quickly down the steps that lead up to her throne. When a few of her guards walked up to escort her she almost wanted to object, but she knew that wouldn’t be taken well, so she nodded and made her way to her living quarters. In reality her quarters were about as big as a house. Sometimes the size was overwhelming, especially when all she really wanted or needed was a small bunk like she had when she was on the Ghost. But she had made do - dedicating one room solely to painting so she didn’t completely vandalize the entire palace, and simply avoiding the other rooms as much as she could.

When they reached the entrance to her quarters she looked at the guards and nodded. “You are dismissed.”

Once again she saw them exchange a glance, they seemed tense. Normally they stayed if she had guests, but they also knew not to question her, and she was sure they knew she could take care of herself. Once they were gone she opened the door and let Hera go in first. Then she closed the door and let out a sigh. Aside from her bedroom and painting room, this room was the only one that she didn’t mind. There were a few lavish couches settled around an ornaint table and a few plants also filled in the room.

“I really hate formalities,” she said her shoulders relaxing as she unclipped her cloak and tossed it onto a table. Then she turned to Hera. This time she didn’t even try to hide her grin as she walked over and gave her a hug. Hugs weren’t really smiled upon very much on Mandalore, but Sabine didn’t care, she hadn’t seen Hera in years, no one was going to stop her from hugging her.

“You manage them well,” Hera said, hugging her back just as tightly.

Chopper, who had followed in silence - much to Sabine’s surprise - started bleeping again, and she let out a laugh as she managed to make out some of what he said. Then she stepped back from Hera and looked at him. “Yes Chopper, it is me, I just grew out my hair,” she said, kicking him lightly. She had never been super rough with the astromech before, but sometimes he was just asking for a little teasing.

“You really seem to have stepped nicely into your role here,” Hera said, nodding approvingly.

Sabine ran a hand through her hair, making a few strands break away from her braid, then she smiled. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear someone say that. Sometimes I feel like I’m just guessing every time I do something.”

Hera smiled back. “I’ll let you in on a secret - everyone feels that way sometimes. It’s just what you let others see that makes it noticeable or not.”

A grin grew on Sabine’s face. “Is that what you do?”

Hera smile changed to a smirk and she put on hand on her hip. “I’m not letting you in on all my secrets, but yes.”

Sabine laughed and then walked over to a couch and sat down on it. “So, what brings you to Mandalore?” She asked, then paused for a second, not sure if she really wanted to bring up a subject that had plagued her even if she knew it wasn’t true, but she had to know. “I haven’t heard from you in a while, I was starting to wonder if you forgot about me over here in this corner of the galaxy.”

“Never,” Hera said, “Things were just...hectic, and they still are. But when we discussed sending a diplomatic crew to Mandalore I volunteered right away.” There was a pause then Hera walked over and sat down next to Sabine, looking her straight in the eye as she spoke. “The leaders of the Rebellion are trying to work out a new governing system. We are trying to get as many systems as we can to come to a summit in Coruscant to discuss the future of the galaxy.”

“And that’s why you’re here?” Sabine asked, sitting a little straighter as Hera’s words intrigued her.

“Exactly. Mandalore has always been a time bomb. When its rulers worked with the senate the planet rose against them. But now maybe we have a chance to fix that, for Mandalore to be a part of something bigger.”

Sabine nodded, but her thoughts were going a mile a minute. “That sounds all well and good but it’s a delicate balance. The only reason Mandalore is acting as it is now is because I make sure the Mandalorians aren’t held on too tight of a leash.” She released a breath of air and rubbed her wrist for a few moments. “My people don’t like others telling them what to do, unless those people are also Mandalorians.”

“And I understand that,” Hera said. “That’s why I think a Mandalorian party should attend the meeting, to discuss terms that all Mandalorians will agree with.”

Sabine broke eye contact with Hera, her mind running over all the new information. It would be difficult, not everyone would like her going to a meeting, but it was also important that Mandalore got what it needed from the new leaders and that those leaders understood Mandalore. After a few more moments of silence she nodded. “I agree. When is the meeting?” Sabine asked, already thinking about what would need to be done at the meeting and what would need to be done on Mandalore to assure the people agreed.

“It’s in a week. I know it’s short notice, but things are delicate. We can’t afford to wait around too long; we don’t want any Empire enthusiasts trying to start their own uprising.”

Sabine was still thinking about all she needed to do, all the people she needed to talk with, all the arrangements she needed to make. It would take some working but she could do it. She looked at Hera and nodded. “I can work with that, I’ll need to move around some things, reschedule some events and meetings and let the Mandalorians know what is going on, but I should be ready to leave in a week.”

“Glad to hear it, I’ll let the other leaders know. Then I’ll head to the next system,” Hera said, standing up.

Shocked, Sabine jumped to her feet. “Wait, you are leaving already?” Sabine asked, not able to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Hera had just gotten here and now it sounded like she was going to leave again.

Hera smiled sympathetically and placed her hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “I’m afraid so, I wish I could stay longer but I promised I’d go to one more system today. We might be able to catch up after the meeting though.”

Sabine felt her heart sink. So much for actually having some quality time with Hera. She knew meetings were busy and she doubted that there would be much time for them to actually get some quality time together. But then a small spark of an idea started forming in her mind. “Do you think you could stop by Mandalore on your way back to Coruscant?”

Hera, who had removed her hand and was frowning at some of Chopper’s garbled nonsense looked up. “I might be able to...what are you thinking?”

A smile grew on Sabine’s face. “I’m thinking it’s been too long since I’ve been on the Ghost.”


	2. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aboard the Ghost Sabine has a chance to catch up with Hera and finally learn what the rest of the Ghost crew has been up to, but she isn’t prepared for the answers. Her hopes are crushed, and upon arriving on Coruscant Sabine doesn’t feel much like leading. But someone may have some news to lift Sabine’s spirits and ignite her hope once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

The next day Sabine sat on her bed looking at the small bag that she had packed a few of her belongings in. She knew she didn’t need to bring a lot. She could live off of less - especially in a place like Coruscant which was going to be housing a plethora of galactic leaders - but it still felt odd to be packing, she felt like she was missing something, but she couldn’t figure out what. The only times she had traveled, she hadn’t packed a thing, other people had done it for her because she had been too busy. But it was a nice feeling, to be doing things like she used to. She had overheard a few of the guards talking behind her back discussing how strange it was that she was traveling on a non-Mandalorian ship. Part of her agreed with them. After all she was going to represent Mandalore. Yes, a few other representatives were going as well, but she was the leader, it would be odd for her to be arriving in a different ship.

But at the same time she wanted to get away from the strict protocols. More than anything she wanted to ride on the Ghost again, so that for a moment she could feel like a teenager again - a rebellious, artistic teenager who wasn’t going to let anyone hinder her art or her ambition. And she wanted to talk with Hera. Not about politics but about her friends, her family. They were obviously all busy with other things since only Hera and Chopper had shown up, but she didn’t know what. Of course her brain started coming up with ideas of what those somethings were. Maybe Kanan was helping others in a way only he could, and maybe Ezra was with him. Or maybe he was on his own mission, helping those still in need or protecting those that couldn't protect themselves. Maybe Zeb was rebuilding the Lasats, helping rewrite history and preserve their culture. Whatever they were doing, Sabine wanted to know all about it. She had been out of the loop for far too long.

Grabbing her bag, Sabine picked up her helmet and placed it on her head. Then she double checked to make sure she had her weapons and nodded. Looking at the time counter she saw that it was time to head out. As she exited her room, her guards saluted and escorted her to the spaceport where the Ghost was waiting. Sabine slowed when she saw the ship. It looked just the same as it had all those years ago. With her helmet on, no one could see the smile on her face or the bittersweet tears building up in her eyes. So many things had happened in that ship, both good and bad. As much as she had grown accustomed to Mandalore, part of her wished she could simply go back in time and be on the Ghost again - fighting the Empire, making plans with her friends. But those days were gone now, and they wouldn’t be coming back no matter how much she wished they would.

Hera was already waiting on the ramp of the Ghost. When she saw Sabine, she smiled and walked over. “You ready? Your escorts will be following right beside us, they wouldn’t agree to anything else.”

Sabine nodded. “They’re already antsy enough with me riding in another ship. There was no way I could convince them that I should board without any guards either.”

“Safety is important,” Hera said, then leaned a little closer and whispered. “Though you know I could outfly these guys any day.”

Sabine couldn’t hold back a small laugh. “I know that, but don’t tell them.” Sabine motioned for the guards to board, and she followed behind, walking side by side with Hera.

In the cargo bay Sabine stopped and looked at her guards.

“You can stay in here. If I need anything, I’ll com you.” They seemed to hesitate, but Sabine simply stood and waited. After a moment they nodded. Letting out a breath Sabine made her way to the cockpit.

When she reached it, she removed her helmet and sat in her old seat, still painted with stripes and checkerboard print. Hera was at the controls and took off as smoothly as she always had. Even Chopper fell into an old routine as he beeped a few times and complained when Hera asked him to prepare to lift off.

There was silence for a few moments. Sabine wanted to speak. but she felt worry build up in her chest about what she might learn. She opened her mouth, but she saw that Hera was concentrating on flying so she closed it. Besides, she didn’t know how to even bring up her questions anyway. Yes, she was more comfortable with Hera than most of the people she interacted with, but sometimes catching up could be harder than just talking about little things. She couldn’t stay silent forever though. Taking a breath she was about to speak up, but then Hera spoke.

“Well, we’re on our way now,” she said leaning back in her seat as the blue lights of hyperspace lit up the viewport. “Time to catch up, how have you been Sabine?”

Her first? Well, she could deal with that, though as she thought about the question, she wasn’t quite sure how to answer it. How was she really? Recently, when anyone had asked her that she simply did what she always did, say she was okay even if she wasn’t. That or state what needed to be fixed. She hadn’t answered that question truthfully in years.

“Stressed,” she finally said. “Restless. Some days I want to just put Korkie in charge for a year so I can leave and see the galaxy again. Just to forget that I’m a ruler and explore. You know I never liked staying in one place.”

“That’s understandable,” Hera said, looking at her sympathetically. “I’d gladly trade places with you...well, maybe not. I’m tired, but I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere but in the sky. Though it does get lonely with just Chopper…” Hera trailed off, and Sabine knew she was thinking the same as her. The Ghost wasn’t the same without the old crew on it, and it might never feel the same again.

“Zeb is back with the Lasats. I sent him a com to see if he wanted to come to this delegation but you know Zeb, he likes to fight not talk.” Hera laughed a little at that, and Sabine joined it.

“That’s true,” she said and looked out the viewport. That was one family member she wouldn’t be seeing on Coruscant. She thought Hera might start talking again, but after a few moments of silence Sabine looked at her. “What about…?” She didn’t need to finish, Hera knew who else she was curious about.

Hera took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was clear that she was struggling to talk, to think about it, which made Sabine’s stomach tighten even more than it already had been. It was as if she could feel that she was about to learn something she didn’t want to hear. She almost wanted to take it back, but she had to know, she couldn’t stay in the dark any longer.

“I don’t know,” Hera finally said.

“What….what do you mean?” Sabine asked, fear starting to wrap around her heart. This wasn’t what she expected. She wanted to know what her family was up to - no, she needed to know.

“I don’t know where they are,” Hera repeated, taking another deep breath before opening her eyes. “Kanan went into hiding when he felt he was hindering the missions. There were too many Inquisitors, and when he wasn’t with us they didn’t show up as much. So he left, I don’t know where. I don’t know-” Hera’s voice caught for a moment and her eyes looked misty. Sabine felt her heart ache for her. Sometimes not knowing was almost worse than knowing. After a few moments of silence Hera finished her thought. “I don’t know if he is still alive or if they ever found him...I don’t know if I will ever know…”

Sabine sat in silence for a few moments. Then she stood up, walked over and sat down in the seat next to Hera. Silently, she placed her hand on Hera’s shoulder. Tears threatened to gather in her eyes, but she forced them away. There was still hope. Kanan could still be out there. He could still come back. If she didn’t believe that, then she knew she would cry. She figured that was how Hera felt right now, though for her it would be even harder. Sabine hadn’t been blind when she was on the Ghost. Even though they never said it, she knew how much Kanan and Hera meant to each other, and she couldn’t imagine how that must feel...well, maybe not quite to the extent they felt it.

“He’ll come back one day,” Sabine said after a few more moments of silence. “He’s Kanan. He’ll come back.”

Hera sat silently for a few moments, then nodded.

“And I’m sure he will bring Ezra with him. Then we can all have one big reunion.” It sounded silly even to Sabine. Things didn’t happen the way everyone hoped. Things went wrong, and people changed. But right now she had to be positive, for Hera.

Her words however, seemed to have the opposite effect on Hera. Hera covered her mouth as a sob escaped her.

A cold hand clutched around Sabine’s heart. “Hera?” She asked, not even trying to mask the fear that was layered in her voice.

“Ezra isn’t with Kanan…he...he turned...he left...the dark...he’s not a Jedi anymore.”

Sabine felt like the world froze. Only the continued view of hyperspace reminded her that things were still moving.

Ezra couldn’t have turned to the dark. But the look on Hera’s face was real. It was real.

Ezra, her friend, had fallen to the dark side.

And from what she remembered from Kanan, no one turned back from the dark side. It took and took and never gave back.

Sabine’s hope fell, and she felt her heart plummet as tears pooled in her eyes. “Ezra…” her voice broke, it wasn’t more than a whisper, it sounded as broken as she felt. Their family was broken, it could never be fixed. And Ezra was gone forever…

For the next few minutes there was only silence. There was nothing else to be said. Any hope that Sabine might have had was gone now, there was no way things could ever be the same again. Ezra was gone. Sabine stared at the control panel of the ship, those words rolling over and over again around in her mind. Ezra was gone...he was gone…

“Come.”

Sabine’s head snapped up, and she saw Hera stand. Getting to her feet as well, she followed Hera until they were standing outside of one of the cabins….Ezra and Zeb’s old cabin. As the door opened, Sabine felt fresh tears welling up in her eyes. Her silly painting of Ezra falling on Zeb was still on the wall - though it was a little more worn that the last time she had seen it. But for the most part, the cabin looked almost exactly the same.

Hera crouched down in front of the bunk bed and fiddled with something, then a small drawer popped open. Sabine knew it was just a storage unit, like the one she had in her bunk. That made her wonder what her room looked like now, though it probably looked the same as she had left it. It didn’t seem like Hera had spent much time in the cabins, but Sabine didn’t blame her for that. She probably would’ve avoided the pain of memories too.

Then Hera pulled out something and stood up, holding it out for Sabine to see. A lump grew in her throat as she recognized Ezra’s lightsaber. She reached forward and gently took it from Hera. The last time she had seen this saber was when Ezra had fought alongside her to help free Mandalore from the Empire…

“Kanan kept it,” Hera said looking at the wall. It seemed she couldn’t bear to look at the saber for more than a few seconds. “He thought that...maybe one day it would be used for good again. But he didn’t want to take it with him, so he left it here…”

Sabine wasn’t really listening, but she caught the gist of what Hera said. Then memories washed over her - memories of fighting side by side with Ezra, rescuing Hondo, fighting her ‘evil cousins’ as he had called them, and practicing their saber techniques together. There were so many moments caught up in this saber, but now it would only be a reminder of what was gone, what could never come back. She felt Hera place a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, trying to give her best smile.

Hera smiled back then pulled Sabine into a hug, which Sabine returned. They stood there for a few moments, letting each other’s company comfort one another. But eventually Hera pulled away.

“I need to head back up to the cockpit, will you be ok?”

Closing her eyes, Sabine nodded, “I think I just need some time...for it to soak in.”

“I understand.” Hera said, and Sabine knew she did. Hera had been dealing with these feelings for longer than Sabine, and yet she had still fought, still rebelled and led. Hera was so strong. Sometimes Sabine wished she felt as strong as Hera looked. It took courage to continue onward after so much pain. Sabine only hoped she could find the courage to do so, as Hera had.

Once Hera left, Sabine continued to look at the lightsaber in her hand. She knew she needed to prepare for the landing at Coruscant, she needed to contact the other representatives to make sure they were ready. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew she couldn’t, not now. Climbing up the ladder, she lied down on Ezra’s old bunk and remembered how she would sometimes sneak in here to paint or see what prank Chopper had cooked up for the day. There were so many memories wrapped up in this one room, and those memories brought up so many feelings that she couldn’t contain. Clutching the saber to her chest, a sob escaped her mouth, then another. And then tears were falling down her face, tears for her friend, who was forever lost to the darkness…

\--------------------------

Sabine could hear when they came out of hyperspace, it was a sound she would always recognize. They had arrived at Coruscant. It was time for her to bury any remaining emotion and be the leader everyone expected her to be. Taking a deep breath, she got up and slid off of the bunk, the saber still in her hand. She clutched it to her chest for a few more seconds, letting herself remember for a few more moments. Then put it back in its drawer. It needed to stay there. In a past that would never return. After that she went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face, washing away any signs that she had been crying. She re-did her braid and squared her shoulders. The woman in the mirror looked like a confident leader. As long as that was how she looked on the outside, she would be fine - even if she felt anything but that.

Walking back to the cockpit, Sabine sat down in the co-pilot seat and looked at the massive city-planet in the viewport. She had never been to Coruscant - it had always been in the Empire’s hand. Anyone in the Rebellion would have been foolish to even venture close to it. Now it was freed from the Empire’s evil grasp, but Sabine couldn’t help but feel a little nervous at being on the planet for the first time. She knew it was silly to be, after all, it was similar to Mandalore’s cities with its cramped spaces and mechanized houses and streets. However, she was used to Mandalore. Coruscant’s city was much bigger - it was a whole planet. And there was still the feeling of dread, one that she didn’t feel on Mandalore. It was as if all of Coruscant’s past sins could still be felt as the city came into view.

“You going to be okay?”

Sabine looked over at Hera who cast her a worried look before focusing on where she was flying again. “Yeah, I’ll manage,” she said reaching back to grab her helmet. “Besides, no one can see my expressions if I’m wearing this.”

Hera gave a weak smile, though it looked almost more like a grimace to Sabine. “Just remember it’s ok to feel. If you need to just take some more time to yourself then do it. Don’t try to ignore your feelings forever, it only makes them worse.”

“I know. I will, promise,” Sabine said, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to suppress a few emotions that were trying to overwhelm her again.

“When we get there you will be escorted to a room you can stay in. You can eat there or you can join a few other of the old Rebellion leaders. I’m sure they would love to see you again.”

Sabine sighed but nodded, her eyes fixed on her helmet in her hands- she couldn’t make eye contact right now. “I’ll think about it. Not that I don’t want to see them but…”

“I know. They’ll understand if you don’t come.” Hera took one hand off of the steering to place it on Sabine’s leg for a second.

Looking at her helmet, Sabine realized she hadn’t checked in on her guards once while she had been on the Ghost. “I should go check on the guards, they might be wondering where I have been this whole time.” She said and got up to leave, but Hera grabbed her arm lightly.

“Sabine, if you do want to talk about it more, just ask. I’ll stop whatever I’m doing and come.”

A smile grew on the corner of Sabine’s mouth. “I will. Thanks Hera.”

 --------------------

Sabine sighed as she sat down on a couch in her assigned room. It wasn’t a very lavish room, at least compared to her room on Mandalore, but it was nice, outfitted with a comfortable bed and a small living area. Her guards were outside, and once again she was alone, for which she was glad. She didn’t think she could keep up the cover of being okay for much longer. Even with her helmet on it had been hard to act like everything was fine. Closing her eyes, she wondered how she could pass the time. Yes, she could explore, but that would mean facing people, and she didn’t know if she was ready for that yet. She could comm Korkie and make sure everything was going well on Mandalore, but that also involved human interaction. Letting out another breath, she looked up and saw the skies of the city through her window. Maybe getting some fresh air would help. Getting up, she went out onto the balcony - which was really just a small extension of the room outside - and took a deep breath of the air. It didn’t smell very fresh but it was different and that was welcome.

Coruscant was busy. Speeders flew by, and the sounds of machines and vendors echoed through the sky. It was so hectic, but it also reminded her of Mandalore. However, Sabine couldn’t help but wish there was more nature. She would have given anything to be able to go and sit under some trees and just be alone, but that wasn’t possible here. Even the parks were full of people. No, she would just have to make do on her balcony.

With the sounds of the city filling her ears, Sabine leaned against the railing and closed her eyes, letting herself just be still. Thoughts ran through her mind - hopes, worries, pain - they went through her head, and she let them, let herself smile, let herself grimace or tear up. Part of her wished she could stop the flow, but she knew what Hera said was true. She had to let things flow, she had to feel, because otherwise it would only get more painful.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, but suddenly there was a sound that echoed from her room making her eyes snap open. Taking a deep breath she made her way to the door which slid open as she reached it.

A teen stood at the door, and when he saw her he jumped, and quickly bowed. She recognized his uniform from the pages she had seen upon arrival. “Uh, beg your pardon. I was asked to come and escort you to Master Skywalker’s room because you weren’t answering your coms.”

Sabine stared at the teen for a moment. Skywalker...she recognized that name. It was from the past, from conversations she may or may not have eavesdropped on. She didn’t particularly want to leave her room again, she still felt a little unstable emotionally, but she was also curious as to why someone would summon her.

It wasn’t time to eat yet...why did this Skywalker person want to talk to her? What could be so important that someone had been sent to retrieve her? Although she still felt unready to face anyone, curiosity won her over. “Please, lead the way.”

She followed the boy through the complex. It was much larger than it had seemed from the outside. There were more rooms than she could count, and the overall looks felt almost like a business - an imperial business that clashed with a hotel. She didn’t hate it, but wasn’t too fond of it either. Plus she didn’t know if she would ever be able to find her room again without help. Eventually they reached a room and the boy nodded and left before Sabine even had a chance to thank him. Reaching up, she hit a doorbell button. After a few seconds the door opened and standing in front of her was an oddly familiar woman.

“Sabine, so glad you could come.” A welcoming smile lit up the woman’s face, but it changed to a bit of a teasing smile as she continued so speak. “You may not remember me, but I helped you steal three ships a long time ago.”

“Leia?” Sabine wasn’t always the best with names, but for some reason the name came to her mind, and at the woman’s smile she knew she had remembered correctly.

“That’s right, it’s been a long time. Come in, I want you to meet my brother.” Leia stepped back and let Sabine come in. Sitting on a couch was a young man about the same age as Leia, though he had blonde hair and blue eyes, and sitting next to him was Hera. The man stood up and quickly walked over, reaching his hand out to shake hers and grinning as he did so.

“Hello Sabine, I’m Luke, it’s nice to meet you!”

Sabine shook his hand and tried for a smile, though honestly she was really confused as to what was going on. She hadn’t known much about Leia but this guy didn’t look like her brother. And then there was the fact that she still didn’t know why she was even here. Hera must have noticed her confusion because she quickly spoke up.

“Sabine, Luke is a Jedi. He played a key role in ending the war...and he has some information that may give us both just a little more hope…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) for proofreading!
> 
> Last night dragonanne made a comment on this chapter which lead me to design [Sabine's guards](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149542961383/i-blame-dragonanne-meet-sabines-guards-who) who may get some small, funny, one shots or comics written about them (set during this fic - basically what they are doing while Sabine is doing her own thing)


	3. The Summit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with Luke Skywalker, Sabine once again has hope for an old friend. But during the intergalactic summit at Coruscant, things go wrong. Inquisitors attack the summit and Sabine finds herself faced with the past and the truth of the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

The day after she had met with Luke Skywalker, Sabine sat in one of the pods of the old senate building. One side was open so that she could see the appointed speaker in the middle of the large meeting room and listen as they spoke. It seemed almost inappropriate to be meeting in the old senate building, seeing as many terrible decisions had been made in it, including the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. But at the same time it was the only place all the planetary representatives could be together in the same room, so it would have to do. To assure the safety of everyone, only a few guards had been allowed to keep their weapons but this only made Sabine feel even more uncomfortable. And as a representative spoke, she wasn’t able to focus on what he was saying. She was too preoccupied by the conversation from the night before.

_“The darkside isn’t the end, there is a possibility for someone to turn back again. No matter how far gone they seem. My father changed, so there is hope for anyone.”_

Luke’s words rang in Sabine’s head and she constantly had to suppress the hope in her chest. She wanted to believe it was true, she wanted there to be a chance, but she also didn’t want let herself hope too much for fear of it being crushed again.

Although she was a little distracted, she forced away the thought for now and was still able to listen somewhat to the discussions and think about what they might mean for Mandalore. But even as she listened, she found herself thinking about what she needed to say. She knew that at some point she would have to go before the representatives and address Mandalore’s needs and she wanted to make sure she had all her thoughts sorted out. She knew not everyone would agree with Mandalore’s ways so she would have be careful with what she said while still making sure Mandalore wasn’t shackled with rules that would make the people restless.

These thoughts wouldn’t stop running around in Sabine’s mind as different leaders spoke. She knew her turn was coming up, and as each minute passed her stomach clenched up more and more. It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak, she had done so plenty of times before, but these were such important negotiations. She didn’t want to mess anything up. Hera, who had come in to keep her company for a few moments, put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and Sabine smiled. Even Chopper made a few grunts that made her chuckle. One of the speakers started to leave and, Sabine knew it was her turn. But just as she was about to maneuver her platform out, the lights turned off. There was a collective hush that overcame the room, followed by confused voices. People were trying to figure out what was going on.

Sabine rushed to the edge of her pod and looked around. She couldn’t see much of anything, only the light from a few datapads. Then something lit up on the other side of the room, a familiar sound vibrated through the air. The sound of a lightsaber igniting. More lit up until four red sabers shone around the large room. And not just red sabers, double bladed ones that started spinning quickly around the hilt.

“Inquisitors…” Sabine muttered to herself. She hadn’t seen them in years, but she knew how much damage they could do.

One of them used their saber to fly to the middle platform in the senate chamber. The leader on the platform stepped back, trying to distance himself from the saber.

“Leaders of the galaxy! You thought you were here to start a new government. But I am here to tell you that the only government starting today will be a revival of the Empire!”

The voice sent a chill down Sabine’s back. It was strong and authoritative...but that wasn’t the reason it chilled her. It was how familiar it was….

It was Ezra. Just then the backup generator started up and back lights lit up the large room, casting a dim light over everyone. Sabine quickly looked back at Hera. One look told her that she recognized his voice as well.

“He’s an Inquisitor…” Sabine said, her voice didn’t sound quite like hers, it sounded weak and shaky. Shock had frozen her in place. She couldn’t believe this...Ezra couldn’t be an Inquisitor...he just couldn’t...No, he could...and he was.

“Surrender now, or pay the price.”

Ezra’s voice echoed around the room and Sabine forced herself to look at the middle of the room again. She couldn’t see much of him but she could make out his firm stance, he looked threatening, and harsh. It didn’t look like Ezra, but his voice was unmistakable.

Then a new light illuminated the room. A green lightsaber had been ignited. At first Sabine thought someone had found Ezra’s old saber on the Ghost, but then she heard Luke’s voice replying.

“We will not surrender to tyranny again!”

Ezra turned and looked at Luke, a sneer barely distinguishable on his face. “One Jedi cannot stop us.”

Then the Inquisitors started. Three of them jumped into a floating pod and screams of their kills echoed through the room. People banged on doors and cried out in fear. Ezra on the other hand jumped towards Luke.

Sabine quickly turned back to look at Hera. She was trying to work with the door, but looking at Sabine she shook her head. “The doors are locked. We’re stuck here.

“Karabast…” Sabine muttered, not even realizing she had used Zeb’s choice curse word. She could hear the Inquisitors and see their blades; they were getting closer. “If only they hadn’t taken away all of our weapons.” She muttered to herself.

“Woop woop,” Chopped beeped and Sabine looked at him quickly. He had pulled something out of one of his compartments, and as Sabine looked at it in the dim light she realized was it was.

“Oh you sneaky little droid!” she said grabbing the darksaber from him. “Hera, Chopper, try to figure out a way to open the locks. I’ll try to slow down these Inquisitors.”

Hera looked away from the door - which she had been trying to unlock - and nodded. “We’ll try. And Sabine…be careful.”

Sabine smiled. “I will, Hera.” Then she turned back to the balcony and looked out. There was no way she would be able to move around to stop the Inquisitors with just her agility. Thankfully for her, however, the security team from Mandalore had developed an addition to her armor - a smaller, more compact jetpack that wasn’t very distinguishable, especially when she wore her cloak. Unclipping the cloak she let it fall to the ground. Then she stepped up onto the edge of the balcony and ignited her saber.

The noise echoed across the room. Sabine felt adrenaline pumping through her system.

“Hey Inquisitors! Why don’t you pick on someone who can actually fight back?” Sabine’s voice carried throughout the whole room. Then she jumped. Her jetpack pulsed fire out underneath her, sending her into the air. She angled herself towards the closest Inquisitor and slammed into him before he had a chance to injure one of the representatives. He used the Force to land on a lower balcony and quickly looked up to see what had happened.

Surprise covered his face and Sabine felt a smile grow on hers as she landed on the edge of a balcony. No one had expected another lightsaber wielder to be at this meeting. But his surprise didn’t last long. A growl grew in this throat, then he jumped up at her, using the Force to give himself a boost.

Sabine was expecting retaliation though and was ready when his saber swung down at her. The darksaber stopped the assault dead in its tracks. Sabine grunted with the effort of keeping him back. He was a large Mirialan, and he wore black armor and a sturdy helmet - which was more than Sabine had. Being in a meeting she had been asked to come peaceably, which meant no helmet. But even with her disadvantages, Sabine knew she had still had her skill, after all size wasn’t everything. Pushing off her with feet she sent him falling again as her jetpack pushed her up into the air.

And so the Inquisitor’s mission changed from killing representatives to killing Sabine. It had been a while since she had fought with her saber - after all fighting was different than practicing - but she parried attacks and charged at him. As she did so she could practically hear Kanan’s voice in her head.

_“Don’t give them a window to hurt you.”_

She blocked a hard strike on her left.

_“When you have an opening, attack fast and clean.”_

She pushed back the Inquisitor’s saber and saw an opening. She swung and almost caught him, but he jumped out of the way. She was pretty sure the Force was the only reason he had avoided the attack. Unfortunately the miss took her by surprise, and he managed to kick her away. Gritting her teeth, Sabine angled herself back towards him and charged. But he was ready for her.

Sabers clashed, their lights casting ominous glows in the dim room as the sounds of the collisions rang through the room. As she held off her attacker, Sabine wished she could help more, but even now she was barely holding her own. She knew she couldn’t fight more than one at a time and she was sure Luke was in the same boat. Every once and awhile she heard a blaster or two going off and she figured a few guards must be trying to protect their own leaders, but she knew they wouldn’t stand much of a chance. She wanted to know what was going on, but she couldn’t take her mind off of the battle. It took all of her concentration just to stay one step ahead of the Inquisitor.

She had just blocked a particularly hard strike when something struck her back and her jetpack started sputtering. It’s circuits were damaged, it wouldn’t work much longer. Quickly angling herself, Sabine somehow managed to land on an empty balcony. Looking up she was prepared for the Inquisitor to attack, but he wasn’t following her anymore. Glancing into the pod behind her, she saw that the door was opened. A smile tugged at her lips. Hera and Chopper had been able to hack the locks.

Sabine was about to make her way out the door so she could get to a level with another Inquisitor when she heard a lightsaber activate behind her. Only instinct told her to turn and block. If she hadn’t done so she would’ve been a goner. Looking at her opponent she was expecting to see the man she had been fighting before but her breath caught in her mouth as she found herself looking at Ezra. His hair had grown, falling to his shoulders, and he looked strong, as if he had been working out daily - much different from the boy she had once known. His eyes glowed an orangish red, and he had a hungry look on his face. But despite all of that, Sabine still knew it was him.

“Ezra.” His name fell from her lips. She still didn’t want to believe, but she was looking right at him.

“Ezra Bridger is gone. I am the Twelfth Brother.” He pushed forward and sent her flying into a chair.

Pain shot through her body, making her cry out. She forced herself to get up and retaliate, but Ezra was as quick as ever. He blocked her strike and pushed her back again, but this time she managed to stay on her feet. She was about to attack again, but she hesitated. Luke’s words echoed through her head.

“Ezra, I know it’s you. You are Ezra Bridger. You are my friend. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Then you are a fool,” he said and swung at her again.

She barely managed to parry it and take a few steps backwards, further into the pod. “No, I’m not. I know you, Ezra. You wouldn’t hurt me. You wouldn’t hurt any of us. This isn’t you Ezra. Fight it!” Sabine didn’t know if this was a battle she could win, but she had to try and get him back.

“You don’t know me.” A laughed escaped his mouth and twisted smile grew on his face as he twirled his lightsaber. “Hurting people is all part of the fun.”

Only when he charged did she realize she had cornered herself against the wall of the pod. She tried to block his attack, but he pushed harder than before. Her knees bucked. Pain shot through her body.

“Ezra, please…” Her voice was strained, and she knew she couldn’t hold up much longer. She looked in his eyes, trying to plead with him with more than just words. But as she looked she only saw anger and hate, it was as if the boy she had once known had never existed. This Ezra wasn’t going to be reasoned with. In one last effort she tried her jetpack, and it managed to give her a burst of power. This surprised Ezra and sent her out towards the middle of the large room again. But before she could even try to get control of the jetpack to get to safety, a large unseen force slammed into her and sent her shooting towards the floor, which was many stories below her. Her jetpack was barely working. It managed to slow her fall a little. But not enough. As her body slammed into the ground, pain engulfed her and the world went black.

\--------------------

Pain. That was all Sabine felt. Her head ached, and all she wanted was to pass out again. But she could hear sounds echoing around her, making a symphony of confusion that beat against her skull. Her eyes ached to open, but even that small movement sent more pain through her head. A groan escaped her mouth. She didn’t think she had ever been in this much pain before, and she knew she never wanted to feel it again.

Slowly, the noises started becoming distinct again. Blaster fire separated itself from the sound of lightsabers, and the echo of voices started to become more distinct until she could make out two voices.

“You’re family, Ezra. You will always be family. No matter what.”

Hera’s words rang through Sabine’s brain, and she forced herself to open her eyes despite the pain. She saw Hera standing in front of her facing Ezra. Sabine wanted to cry out for Hera to move. He couldn’t be reasoned with, he had sent her crashing to the ground. But then she noticed that while Ezra had his saber drawn, he wasn’t making any move. Could Hera possibly be getting through to him?

He didn’t reply. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his hand was shaking. He looked conflicted.

“She -” Sabine’s voice cracked. Her voice rattled her skull which sent more pain through her head. But she swallowed and forced herself to speak again. “She’s right, Ezra, you are family.” Just saying those few words drained Sabine, and the pain threatened to overcome her, but she fought against it.

Ezra opened his eyes, and he looked at her. And his eyes...they weren’t as orange as before. Could they be turning blue again?

“Sabine…” his voice sounded fractured, as if he was fighting against himself.

Then he froze, and fell. As he fell Sabine saw Leia standing behind him with a gun in her hand. Her heart froze in her chest.

“It’s set to stun,” Leia said as a few guards ran forward and secured Ezra.

Sabine felt herself relax, and then she was aware of the pain again. Everything hurt.

“Sabine? Sabine! Someone get a medic!”

Sabine heard Hera’s voice close by and felt someone grabbing her shoulders. But the darkness was already overcoming her, and she fell into the painless void once again.

 --------------------

Sabine’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up only to regret doing so when a sharp ache broke out in the back of her head. She closed her eyes to try to ease the throbbing.

“Woah, take it easy. You need to rest more.”

Opening her eyes, she looked up and saw a nurse. Sabine didn’t recognize her, but she figured she knew what she was talking about. Plus she didn’t feel like she could sit up for very long. Lying back down, she closed her eyes again, already feeling sleep pulling at her. But then she remembered Ezra, and her eyes flew open.

“Ezra, where is Ezra?”

“Who?” The medic asked, obviously confused.

“Ezra…” Sabine realized saying his name again wouldn’t help clarify. “Please get Hera.” Of course this girl wouldn’t know what she was talking about, but she knew Hera would be able to fill her in on what happened.

“I’m sorry, but you need to rest.”

Sabine groaned and sat up, focusing on keeping her breathing steady to distract herself from the pain. When the throbbing eased, she looked at the nurse. “If you don’t get her I will get up and find her myself!” Sabine said authoritatively. However she regretted it when pain bounced around in her head, but she was determined to find out what had happened.

The girl’s eyes widened, and she quickly backed up and nodded. “Okay, okay, I’ll go find her.”

Sabine let out a breath and lay back down, trying to jog her memory, but everything was blurry. She could recall a few things - the fight, Hera reasoning with Ezra, him getting stunned - but she didn’t know if Ezra was alive. She didn’t know if he had turned away from the dark side. She didn’t know if he was even still there. And she needed to know.

Minutes passed by, and Sabine felt herself almost falling asleep a few times, but she always jerked herself awake again before sleep could fully overtake her. Finally, she heard a door slide open and she sat up, once again trying not to pay the aching much attention.

“Sabine, you really need to rest.” Hera sat down on a chair by Sabine’s bed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll rest when I know what happened after I blacked out,” Sabine said firmly.

Hera sighed but nodded. “That’s fair enough. The other Inquisitors left when Ezra was caught. I don’t know why, but they’re gone for now. The wounded - you included - were treated and brought here, to this medcenter.” A shadow passed over Hera’s face, and she looked at the ground for a few moments before adding quietly. “A lot of good people were killed.”

Sabine looked at her hands for a moment. People she might have know. People that still had a life left to live. Gone. “And Ezra?”

“He’s in a secure cell. He’s locked up tight, so he can’t get out.”

“But is he...still…?” Sabine trailed off. She didn’t know how to word it, but she knew Hera understood what she meant.

“For now...but he’s not as hostile as he was...I’ve talked to him a few times -”

“I want to talk to him,” Sabine said, cutting over Hera.

Hera frowned and shook her head slightly. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You’re still healing, and he’s not himself.”

Sabine huffed and looked at the thin sheet covering her. “Once I rest. Then can I see him? I need...I need to try and get through to him. I think you were getting through to him, maybe together we ca -” A sharp pain shot through her head, and she hissed. Where had that come from?

“Ok, we can try, but only when the doctors say you’re ready. Deal?”

“Deal,” Sabine said. It wasn’t perfect, but it would give her a chance. And if the conflict she had seen in Ezra’s eyes was real, then there may still be a chance to save him. It was a small chance, but she would take it. She would take any chance if it meant she could get him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again special thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta/proof readers!
> 
> This week I drew [Sabine with her hair down](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Let-Your-Hair-Down-631167334) and [Ezra with bed hair](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Bed-Head-631182349)!


	4. Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine is determined to bring Ezra back to the light. But then things go wrong. Soon she finds herself in trouble, and Ezra is her only hope of escape. The only question is, can she succeed where she failed before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

Two days later, Sabine stood outside of a holding cell. It was quite complex; it had to be to keep a force sensitive user captive - especially one as strong as Ezra. He’d had his fair share of escapes when they had been fighting against the Empire, so the fact that he hadn’t escaped yet was impressive.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Hera asked.

“The doctors said I’m better now,” Sabine said simply. Ok, they said she was on the mend. But she felt better than she had a few days ago, and she didn’t want to sit around anymore. Her guards also seemed cautious to let her go, especially because she insisted to go in only with Hera, but that was for the best.

Or at least that was the hope. Hera thought that Ezra might open up more if it was just her and Sabine. From what Hera had said, he still seemed to be on the edge of light and dark, fighting both simultaneously. Sabine hoped that maybe together they could help him accept the light.

“Ok then,” Hera said. She nodded to the guards of the cell. The door slid open, and she walked in, Sabine following close behind.

Ezra hung suspended in the middle of a cell, surrounded by blue light that was keeping him paralyzed. His eyes narrowed when he saw them, but Sabine could see conflict brimming in their blue depths. He was definitely still fighting himself, even if that fight was internal.

“So you didn’t die.”

Sabine froze, hurt by his words. They sounded almost hollow, as if he really didn’t care one way or another. She supposed it was better than him being hostile, but she didn’t know how to respond. The days she had been stuck in the medbay, she had gone through how she could reason with him, what she should say to him to help him. But now that she was looking at him she felt her brain blanking. She wanted to help him, but she wasn’t quite sure how to do that now.

“Nothing to say? You just came to see the show?” He sounded almost like he was teasing her, but there was an anger behind the words as well. The dark was winning in this moment.

“You know we don’t want to keep you here, Ezra,” Hera said.

“Then why not release me? Or get rid of me? No one is doing any good with me just floating here.” Although he sounded hostile, there was a small amount of pain in his eyes. The Ezra Sabine knew was hurt by how he was being treated. Sympathy tried to settle into her heart, but she fought it. They had to keep everyone safe. Right now Ezra was a time bomb, they didn’t know what might set him off.

“No one else is dying on my watch. There have been enough casualties as it is,” Hera said.

Sabine watched as Hera tried to get through to him. She felt guilty that she wasn’t saying more, but she wasn’t sure how to go about talking to Ezra. Last time she had tried to reason with him, he hadn’t paid her any attention. The way she saw it, Hera was the only one who was getting through to him.

“You know you can’t keep me here forever.” Ezra stated simply. “I’ll find a way to get out eventually.”

“I don’t doubt that, but if you…if you stop resisting the light then you won’t have to break out,” Sabine said. She needed to say something, but even as she spoke she doubted her words.

Then Ezra started chuckling, a deep, sinister sound. “The light. The light is weak, it…” He stopped talking and growled looking at the ground and narrowing his eyes. He wasn’t angry with Sabine or Hera. No, he was angry with himself. He was fed up with the war being waged in his mind.

“No it’s not, Ezra. You know that’s not true.” Sabine wanted to say more, but her mind was stalling. Yes, she knew a little about the Force. After spending time with Kanan and Ezra, it was impossible not to pick up a few things. But she didn’t fully understand it. Could she really help him if she didn’t even understand what she was talking about?

“Captain Syndulla, we need you in meeting room 2B.”

The transmission broke the silence in the room. Hera sighed and looked at Sabine. “I have to go. We can come back later.”

“No. I want to stay,” Sabine blurted out.

Hera frowned and glanced at Ezra, but after a moment she nodded. “Okay. But be careful.”

“I’m starting to think that’s your new motto,” Sabine said, smirking a little. But then she nodded. “But I will.”

Once Hera had left, Sabine looked at Ezra again. He was looking at her, but after a while she realized he wasn’t focusing on her. His eyes were simply staring into space. He was thinking.

“Being careful won’t save you,” he said after a few more moments of silence.

“What makes you say that?” Sabine crossed her arms. She kept her gaze on him trying to figure out the best way to get through to him. Ezra cared. But how could she convince him to admit it when he was stuck here, imprisoned?

“Caution doesn’t prevent attacks,” he replied. “It only makes you react slower when an attack occurs.”

“But it does help when someone is trying to manipulate you.” Sabine simply stated the first thing that came to mind. She was juggling trying to keep up a conversation with him while also trying to figure out how to get through to him.

“Is that what you think? I’ll try to manipulate you?” He chuckled a little. Sabine didn’t understand why that would be funny.

“That’s what the dark does,” she stated simply. “It manipulates people. Kanan told me that much.”

Ezra’s laughed stopped abruptly, and he looked at her again. The war was evident in his eyes.

“The only reason you turned to the dark was because of Maul’s manipulation. You would never hurt innocent people on your own, Ezra. You care too much.”  
He didn’t reply, but Sabine could tell she was getting somewhere. He was listening to her, and there was a spark of understanding in his eyes. She was close; she just needed to tread carefully.

The door opened behind her. Sabine barely held back a groan as she turned around. “I just need a little more -” She froze.

Two Inquisitors were standing in the doorway. The bodies of the complex’s guards were lying on the floor behind them. Her guards were nowhere to be seen. Sabine instinctively reached for her saber, then her blasters, but she didn’t have either. Weapons had been a liability when she had come in this room, and now that rule was aiding evil instead of stopping it.

“Sorry. Time’s up.” One Inquisitor said, and she recognized him as the one she had fought against a few days ago. The hum of the beam containing Ezra died ,and Sabine heard his feet hit the ground. Now it was three against one. And she didn’t have a weapon. Not much of a fight.

The Inquisitor lifted his saber, grinning hungrily.

Sabine wanted to fight. She wanted to do something, but she was trapped. Straightening her shoulders, she looked the Inquisitor in the eye. If she had to die, she would not die a coward.

He laughed and swung, but the saber didn’t hit her. It sat hovering in the air. The Inquisitor’s hand was frozen mid-strike.

“Don’t kill her.”

Ezra’s voice still held that hollowness, but there was authority in it as well. He had saved her.

He had just been freed. He could have just let her be killed. But he hadn’t. _Her_ Ezra was still in there, the one who would never let anyone hurt those he cared about.

“But, brother…?”

“We will take her with us,” Ezra said. “She may be useful.”

Sabine’s heart felt like it had been stepped on. But she ignored the pain. Ezra was still fighting. He might still make bad choices. But that didn’t give her an excuse to give up on him, not yet.

“Understood.”

She heard the Inquisitor’s voice and froze. She realized what was going to happen a second before his hand hit her head. And so, for a second time in seventy-two hours, darkness overcame her.

 --------------------

Just as pain had caused Sabine to black out, it was also the cause of waking her up. Her head had still been healing, but now it had to start over again. Sabine was sure she must have a concussion by now. She wasn’t positive about that, but she knew that she was tired of it getting hit in the head.

Taking a breath, she steeled herself before she opened her eyes. Thankfully, there weren’t any bright lights around her. But even with the dim lighting, keeping her eyes opened was still hard. She saw a glimpse of a small room, but the pain forced her to shut her eyes. Only once the throbbing stopped did she open them again and look around more closely. Though there wasn’t much to see. The room had walls, a floor and a ceiling. That was it. There was a door, but it was locked.

Getting to her feet, Sabine let a wave of pain pass before she walked over to the door. Resting her hand on the lock, she looked at it and tapped it a few times but there was no response. If she had some tools, she might’ve been able to escape, but she was out of luck there. And as she looked at the door, pain shot through her head and she dismissed the idea altogether. Her brain was in a fog of pain. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate well enough even if she had instructions right in front of her.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was sleep, but she was tempted to try. After a second though, she dismissed the idea. If she did have a concussion, sleeping was not good. Not only that, but there wasn’t a bed or anything in the cell. Besides, she didn’t want to be caught by surprise if anyone checked in on her. Not that she was expecting them to keep constant tabs on her, but they would have to feed her sometime. So she simply walked over and sat down on the floor to wait.

Minutes passed, and Sabine reviewed what had happened before she had been knocked unconscious. Hera had left not long before the attack, which may or may not have been a coincidence. The Inquisitors had caught them off guard. They had carefully planned the attack. They had known how to free Ezra. And they had killed to get him. The question was how many had they robbed of life in doing so? She was a rare case she knew. If Ezra hadn’t stopped them, they would have killed her without a second thought.

Ezra. Was he still fighting the dark? Or had the Inquisitors scared any bit of the light back to the deepest depths of his soul?

A sigh escaped her mouth and she felt emotions rush over her again. That didn’t help her headache, but she couldn’t stop them. Her chest constricted and she took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to lose it. Not here. She couldn’t show weakness. Not when some might take it as a sign to kill her.

Time passed slowly. Sabine found herself fighting both sleep and emotions all while trying to think if there was any way she could possibly get out of this mess. But she couldn’t think of anything. She couldn’t get out of this room on her own, and she had no idea what lay beyond the door.

Just when she was about to consider getting up and pounding on the door - hey, it worked sometimes - she heard footsteps clanging on the floor outside of the room. A second later the door slid open.

Sabine jumped to her feet but regretted it when pain shot through her skull. She tried her best not to show it, but that was easier said than done. When she was finally able to focus on who had come into the room, she saw that it was Ezra. And he had his red lightsaber.

He looked at her for a moment. Then he pulled a blaster from his back pocket and tossed it to her. “I don’t kill anyone who is defenseless.”

She barely caught the blaster and didn’t even realize what he was talking about until he activated his saber. By instinct she lifted up her blaster ready to fight, not that it would do her much good.

But she hesitated. Something deep inside her stopped her from firing. The moments before she had gotten captured, Ezra had been on the edge. Could she still bring him back to the light? His eyes were glowing orange once again, but he had given her a weapon, and he hadn’t attacked yet.

For a split second, she considered trying to push past him, to get away on her own. But the idea dissipated almost as quickly as it came. She couldn’t get away. Even if she managed to get past him, she had no clue where she was and what other obstacles she would have to face. And as dark as he may be, Sabine wasn’t going to leave him. And she wasn’t going to hurt him either. Even if it killed her.

“Stop stalling. Defend yourself!” He gritted his teeth and held up his saber, his eyes boring into her.

“No.” She tossed the gun to the ground. “I’m not going to fight you, Ezra.”

He froze. She had surprised him. In some ways, she had surprised herself too. It went against everything she knew to throw away a weapon, and yet she knew it was what she had to do.

“Pick it up! I will fight you and rid you of my life once and for all.” He spoke with authority, but Sabine was used to ignoring authority.

“If you want to kill me, you’ll have to do it without me fighting back.” It was the most un-Mandalorian thing she had ever said. But she meant every word.

“Fine!” He spat, and raised his saber, but he didn’t swing down. His eyes seemed to be a whirlwind of color. He gritted his teeth. “Fight me!” Now even his words were at odds with each other. He was ready to kill her without her fighting back one second and demanding that she defend herself the next.

“I won’t. I’d never forgive myself if I did. No matter what you are now, you were my friend once. I will not harm my friends, and I know you won’t either.” Sabine’s voice was strong, it sounded stronger than she felt. She believed her words. She just had to hope he did too.

“You’re wrong! I-” his voice faltered, but he recovered. “You lie! You have hurt others.” Tears were brimming in his eyes and he looked right at her as he spoke two more words. “You left.”

A hammer of pain rammed into Sabine’s chest. So that’s what this was about. “I didn't want to leave Ezra -”

“Lies! You stayed on Mandalore. You left us all so you could rule. You didn’t care about me!” Pain layered his voice, pain that wasn’t the result of the dark side but of something she had done.

“I had a duty, I had to stay -” she pleaded, but he ran over her words.

“No you didn’t! Someone else could have ruled. You were selfish. You didn’t care!”

Tears started to grow in Sabine’s eyes, fueled not by the pain in her head, but by the emotions rolling around in her chest. “I didn’t want to stay. I didn’t want to leave the Ghost. If you think I sat around every day happy about ruling a planet, you are wrong. I cried for weeks afterwards. Every day I just wanted to be back with the crew, with everyone I cared about, but I couldn’t. People were looking up to me, expecting me to lead when all I wanted to do was fight the Empire with my family. I was forced to lose the only family I ever cared about so I could save more lives. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” By this point tears were falling down her cheeks and her head was throbbing with unmistakable pain. But Sabine didn’t pay them attention. No matter what happened, she had to make sure Ezra knew how she felt. “I’m sorry, Ezra. I’m so sorry that I hurt you. But it hurt me too. I never wanted to leave.”

With each blink of the eye, a new tear fell down Sabine’s face. As they did, her vision cleared, and she saw pain in his eyes. Then she realized his lightsaber was shaking. He was shaking. He was fighting himself more than he ever had in the past. This was hurting him far more than it was hurting her.

Taking a breath she took a step forward. He didn’t react. She stepped forward again, then again until his saber was only a few inches above her head. Reaching out, she carefully placed her hand on the saber hilt. It might have been foolish, but she didn’t care. That saber was the one thing that was hindering him. When he held it, he held on to the dark.

“I won’t hurt you, Ezra. Not again. Will you trust me not to hurt you now?”

She could feel his hands shaking on the hilt, but eventually his grip lessened. His fingers moved slowly away from the hilt, then he pulled his hand back until only she was holding the weapon. Carefully, she hit the button and it deactivated. Then she tossed it away, just as she had done with the blaster. Once again, she ignored what every drop of her warrior blood told her to do. Ezra still had the Force. She was unarmed. She was still in danger. But she was calm.

“I…I can’t.” His voice wavered. It sounded almost as if he was a kid again, scared about what he might do.

“You can, Ezra. I know you can. Fight it.” Sabine said calmly, putting every ounce of belief she had into her voice.

“No, I can’t. It...I...it...it’s too strong I…I’m not…not strong...I can’t...” Tears were running down his face and he was shaking more than she ever thought someone could shake.

Pain nearly choked Sabine. Seeing him so distraught hurt her more than she thought it ever would. Stepping forward, she lessened the distance between them, then she reached out and grabbed his hands, pulling them up towards her chest.

“You can fight it, Ezra. You are strong. You’ve fought so much. You’ve overcome so much. You can do it. I know you can.”

“No…NO!” He jerked his hands out from her grip and pulled them to his chest. “Get away!”

It was the darkness trying to take hold. Sabine knew she should step away. She should leave, run. But she couldn’t. Reaching forward, she gently cradled Ezra’s jaw in her hands, and she turned his head up so she could see his eyes. They seemed to be a kaleidoscope of orange and blue, reflecting the fight within.

“Look at me, Ezra,” she said, gently but with a touch of authority.

His eyes focused on hers. His jaw tensed and relaxed. Every bit of his body was at war with itself.

“I can’t fight this for you, Ezra. But I am not leaving you. I will stay with you. No matter the end. I’m not leaving you, because I know you. You are strong. You care about others. You fight for what is right. You’ve been through more than anyone should ever have to go through. You’ve seen pain, but you’ve also seen the most amazing things. You’ve shown kindness to those who don’t deserve it. You’ve stood up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves. You care. And you aren’t alone.”

Tears were streaming down his face again, but Sabine fought her tears, not wanting to cry again. She wanted to be strong for him… and these emotions only made her feel weak.

“I’m not that…I’m not that anymore, Sabine. I can’t fight, I...I’ve hurt so many…I...they deserved it...no….no they didn’t.” A choked sob escaped his mouth, and Sabine realized how silly she was for holding back her emotions. Trying to ignore them was blocking a part of herself from him, and that’s not what he needed. He needed her to be as honest and genuine as possible. So she let her tears fall.

“Sabine, leave before I hurt you, please…” His voice was quiet, pained, broken. His resolve was waning. His eyes were closed in remorse, or guilt or pain, maybe all three. Sabine knew she only had one more shot at this. She gently lowered her hands from his face and reached down to grab his hands again, carefully working his fingers out of the fists they had made then intertwined her fingers with his.

“I won’t leave you, Ezra,” she said, then pressed her forehead against his. “You can do it. Fight, fight this. Fight for your parents. Fight for Kanan. Fight for Ahsoka. Fight for Hera. Fight for Zeb. Fight for me. I know you can, Ezra. I believe in you. Now you need to believe in yourself. The real you. The one who loves and cares so much. Don’t let it win, Ezra. Fight it. I know you can.”

She watched him carefully. She knew he was at the breaking point, he was fighting a battle she couldn’t even begin to imagine. She wanted to do more, but she couldn’t, so she simply repeated her words.“I know you can. I believe in you.”

Silence stretched on. Ezra’s muscles were tense, his jaw was clenched. He was fighting with all he had, fighting a battle that only a few had ever won before.

Then he relaxed. His eyes opened. And they were blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, special thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta/proof readers!
> 
> Before I even finished writing this fic I drew some fanart of this chapter because I loved it so much. You can [check it out here!](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Stand-By-You-629489149)


	5. Just Like the Old Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra is back. But him and Sabine are trapped. They need to escape but with little time and few resources, that may be easier said than done. And there are no assurances that they will both make it out unscathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

A grin grew on Sabine’s face. This time the tears that fell from her eyes where due to joy. Without pause, she flung her arms around Ezra and hugged him tight. At first he seemed stiff, as if he wasn’t even sure what she was doing, but then she felt his arms wrap around her hesitantly. Then he buried his face in her shoulder and tightened his grip. She could both feel and hear him sobbing against her shoulder. His cracked voice whispered the same mantra over and over again. “I’m so sorry..

She held him a little closer and let her own silent tears fall. “It’s ok now, Ezra. You’re ok now.”

Her words only seemed to make him cry more, but she didn’t know what else to say, so she just kept hugging him, hoping she was giving him the silent support that he needed.

After a few minutes, his sobbing slowed. Then his grip loosened, and he leaned back a little. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was full of pain, but that didn’t matter to Sabine, because she knew that is was him, Ezra. The dark didn’t have a hold of him anymore, he was free from its grip.

“You need to get out of here.” He said after a moment, resolve settling across his face.

“We need to get out of here,” Sabine corrected him. “I’m not leaving without you, Ezra.”

“Sabine…” he started to say but stopped, clearly seeing her determination. He looked to the floor for a few moments, hesitating, then he looked at her again. “Ok, but it’d be much easier for you to just go while I distract the Inquisitors.”

“Not an option,” she said. “Now, what’s the layout of this place?”

Ezra sighed, clearly not happy with her stance on the subject. “It’s an old prison. Outside of this room is a hallway with other cells. There is only one set of stairs that leads to the lower level where the other Inquisitors are. Then past that there is the docking bay. I have a ship down there.”

Sabine frowned, going through the options in her head. “Could you cut through the wall on the second floor. Then we could just jump down?”

“No, that wouldn’t work. There are sensors all over. If I even tried to cut it, the Eleventh Sister would be up here before I finished cutting through, and the Fifteenth and Thirteenth Brothers would follow soon behind. Our best bet is a distraction of some sort,” he paused for a second, contemplating different plans. “It’s too bad the storage room isn’t on the second floor, there are a few explosives down there.”

“Is the door locked?” Sabine asked, the semblance of a plan forming in her head.

“Yes, but it’s a simple lock. It should break fairly easily. Why? You got something?” Ezra asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

A smile grew on Sabine’s face, and she nodded, “I think I might have an idea...”

\--------------------

Sabine knew the plan was foolish and poorly thought through. There was little hope that she’d even be able to get to the supply room. But she had been a part of worse plans, and they had worked, so she had to at least try. Ezra started out ahead of her so he could distract the Inquisitors while she sneaked past. His attack wouldn’t last long. It would be three against one, and those where not good odds, regardless of how talented he was.

They made their way down the hallway. When they reached the stairs, Sabine stopped behind the wall. She couldn’t be seen yet.

Ezra looked at her for a few seconds, “The storage room is that room at the end on the left.” He paused, searching her face for a moment. Then he spoke again. “You sure about this?”

She nodded, “It’ll work...it should work. Once I rig the explosives, I’ll go get the ship. When you hear blaster fire, run as fast as you can to the ship. Now go.”

He took a deep breath, nodded, then started walking down the stairs.

Sabine could hear his footsteps echoing through the hall. Her heart beat in her chest, and her head throbbed as she waited. After a moment, she heard one of the other Inquisitors call out to Ezra. Her muscles started aching from crouching for so long. She yearned to move but she couldn’t, not yet. Voices sounded from the room below, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying, she wish she could though. Seconds dragged on. Sabine stretched her neck, trying to keep her mind off of all the things that could go wrong. Then she heard the sound of sabers activating. That was her cue.

Poking her head out from behind the wall she looked down the stairs and saw Ezra weaving in and out of the Inquisitors, dodging blows and striking as he did so. All of the Inquisitors were focused on him. Taking a deep breath, Sabine made her way down the stairs as quietly as she could, but complete silence wasn’t possible. Her boots clopped on the permacrete, and she winced at each step, despite the fact that the sabers covered over the noise.

“Traitor!”

A voice rang out through the room, making Sabine stop in her tracks. Ezra was on the ground, glaring at one of the Inquisitors who activated the other side of his saber. Sabine wanted to call out, to help, but she had her own mission. And even as she watched, Ezra got to his feet, still ready to fight. Letting out a quiet breath, Sabine continued down the stairs, and finally reached the bottom. It would have been much faster if she had been able to jump over the edge of the stairs instead of walking down, but her throbbing head hadn’t allowed that.

As she reached the bottom, she stole another glance at Ezra and saw that one of the Inquisitors was looking at her. She had been spotted. She bolted and ran straight for the storage room, firing shots over her shoulder to try and keep anyone from stopping her with the Force. Unfortunately, this alerted the other Inquisitors to her as well. One of them growled and started running after her while the other continued to fight Ezra. But when he saw her predicament, he pushed the Inquisitor back with his lightsaber then pushed the others with the Force. This sent them ramming into a wall. This only slowed them for a moment, but it gave Sabine the time she needed. Reaching the door of the storage room, she shot the lock then glanced over her shoulder as the door slipped open. Ezra was fighting once again, and now he had positioned himself in between her and the Inquisitors. In the split second she saw of him fighting, she could tell he was favoring one of his legs. She needed to hurry.

Racing inside, Sabine was met with a plethora of equipment and quite a few items she had no clue how to use. Her eyes scanned the room, she needed to hurry, the image of Ezra fighting a losing battle urged her to move quicker. Then she spotted a crate settled on the side of the room. Hauling the lid off, she found that it was full of explosives. She quickly started fiddling with them, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she connected their signals to a detonator. Once that was completed, she set the charges. Now she just had to get to the ship.

Standing up, Sabine turned and raced out of the room, only to slide to a stop. An Inquisitor was blocking the door to the docking platform. It was one she hadn’t fought before, but he was male, either the Thirteenth or Fifteenth Brother, she didn’t know which. And she didn’t particularly care either. All she had was a gun, and one glance showed her that Ezra was fully engaged. He didn’t know her predicament.

“That gun won’t do you much good,” the Inquisitor said, then laughed as he ignited his lightsaber. “You were foolish to try to run. Though I am impressed that the Twelfth Brother seems to be on your side. You must have some hypnotic skills.”

“I didn’t hypnotize him. I simply reminded him of who he really is.” As she spoke Sabine’s fingers fiddled with the blaster in her hand. If she could just keep him talking long enough for her to reroute the charge…

He chuckled and gave her a hungry grin. “Then he will turn back easily enough, or die. Either way, you will die now. No one can save you.” He ignited his saber and it started spinning around - always with the dramatics.

“Newsflash for you - I don’t need saving!” Pulling the trigger on the gun, Sabine quickly threw it right at his saber. The blade collided with it but instead of simply cutting the gun in half, it ignited the rewired system and exploded, sending the Inquisitor flying backwards. A grin broke out on Sabine’s face and she raced forward, running through the open door that lead outside. She spotted the ship soon enough. Ezra had described it to her earlier so she would know which one was his. It was a fairly large ship that looked like a mash up of a fighter and a cargo ship, making it larger than the other ships but still small enough to maneuver quickly and efficiently. She rushed towards it, not stopping even when her head started to throb. She could deal with a headache, but she didn’t have any more weapons or tricks for any other problems. Except for her grand finale, and she needed that to assure Ezra’s escape as well.

The ship opened for her when she said the passphrase “Blackened Sparrow” just as Ezra had told her it would when she had filled him in on the plan. What she wasn’t expecting was the astromech that started beeping at her when she stepped inside. It lit its taser and beeped at her more, then rolled right towards her.  
Jumping out of the way, she kicked it, sending it flying into the wall. It fell over, and she grabbed it and half dragged, half kicked it outside before it could recover.

‘“All those days dealing with Chopper really paid off,” she muttered as she raced to the cockpit of the ship.

The controls were spread out before her. It was then that Sabine realized how out of practice she was when it came to flying. It had been a long time since she had piloted a ship, she would just have to hope she could remember Hera’s lessons well enough to get it off the ground and shoot.

Her eyes scanned the switches and levers. They weren’t like any Mandalorian ships, but the design was still…semi understandable. It took a few tries - the ship jerked around, and the airlock opened once - but soon she had the engines going, and she was able to lift off the docking platform. Once she had it semi-steady, she scanned the controls until she spotted the canons. It didn’t matter where she shot them, so she just hit the button a few times. This sent a few shots into a cliff wall some hundred feet away.

“Ten, nine, eight…” Sabine counted down to one, wanting to give Ezra as much of a chance to get out of the building as she could. She reached one and still didn’t see him through the limited section of platform visible from the cockpit. Her thumb hovered over the detonation button. She would not hit it until Ezra was out.

Then she saw someone running out of the building. She slammed her finger down on the button. There was a moment’s hesitation, but then a rumble sounded, and soon an explosion shook the whole prison, breaking walls and setting alarms off.

“GO!”

Ezra was still in the loading bay of the ship, but he was aboard. She hit the button to close the ramp then rammed on the accelerator as the explosion lit up the sky behind her. A few times the ship shook as she forgot to stabilize, but it wasn’t bad for the lack of recent experience she had.

It was only when she had made it out into space and hit the hyperdrive - with coordinates set to Coruscant - that she realized Ezra still hadn’t joined her in the cockpit. Sabine made sure the ship was on autopilot, then she darted down the narrow hallway to the loading bay. There she saw Ezra passed out on the floor.

“Ezra!”

She rushed over to him. As she got closer she could see quite a few lightsaber cuts on his body, none of which looked good.

“Oh Ezra…” Sabine could feel her chest constricting, but she shook herself out of it. There had to be some medical supplies on board.

After rummaging around crate after crate, she finally found one that had what she needed. Dragging it over to Ezra, she rolled up his sleeve and gave him a shot to help with the pain - in case he woke up. Then she carefully removed his armor once she found that she wouldn’t be able to clean the wounds with it on. However, she couldn’t managed to get all of it off, but it was enough. She knew she should take off his shirt as well, but she was worried that she would only aggravate the wounds more, so instead she just ripped the fabric a little to widen the holes. Once the wounds were cleaned, she carefully wrapped them. She didn’t know how long it had taken her, but by the end of it her head was throbbing, and she ended up giving herself a pain shot as well.

Letting out a breath, she leaned back against the medical crate and looked at Ezra. He looked more vulnerable than he had before. It reminded her of when he was younger and training, he hadn’t been a soldier back then like he was now. She wanted to try and wake him up, but she knew that probably wasn’t wise. His body needed to heal, and it did its best healing when he was sleeping. But at the same time, she wanted to know that he was ok. She could see he was breathing, so she knew he was still alive but...she didn’t know how bad his wounds were; she wasn’t a doctor. The sooner they got back to Coruscant, the better.

As if reading her mind, a beeping sounded from the cockpit, letting her know that it was coming out of hyperspace. Sabine didn’t want to leave Ezra, but autopilot wouldn’t steer the ship all the way. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment.

“Hang on just a little longer,” she whispered quietly, then got to her feet and made her way back to the cockpit.

The whole trip through the atmosphere and to the senate building was full of suspense. There was a knot in her stomach that would not go away and she constantly had to refocus on where she was flying. Sabine kept picturing Ezra in the back of the ship. He needed help. She just hoped the help wouldn't be too late.

 --------------------

Sabine stared at the bacta tank in front of her where Ezra was floating. His scars were a stark contrast of dark crimson against his skin. She felt a tug at her heart when she noticed that some of the wounds were old. A few of them she recognized - a small pale one on his arm from when a blaster shot had grazed him, a ragged one on his leg from when she had accidentally scraped him during a spar. But there were others she didn’t recognize. How many of them were from when he was a Jedi, and how many from when he was an Inquisitor? She didn’t know, but she did know that no one should have to live with all of those scars. Especially because she knew those weren’t the worst wounds he had endured. The worst ones were emotional ones.

“They said he’s healing well and should be able to come out in a few days.”

Looking over, Sabine saw Hera walking into the room. She hadn’t gotten to talk to her friend much. After she had gotten back, she had been confined to bed and whenever she had tried to talk with Hera or anyone the nurse had quickly chased them out. It had been infuriating, but today she had managed to sneak out of her room. After all, her head felt much better now. She didn’t need to stay sitting all day any more, and she couldn’t stand one more day doing nothing. Now that Hera was here, however, Sabine didn’t know what to say.

There was silence for a few more moments, then Hera walked up to Sabine’s side. “Are you doing ok?”

Sabine let out a breath. “Well, my head feels better, but I know that’s not what you’re worried about.”

“We know each other well,” Hera said softly. “Now, do you want to talk about what’s really on your mind?”

Sabine closed her eyes for a few minutes, then let out a breath. “I’m relieved that I was able to...get him back. But I’m worried it won’t be as simple as that.”

Hera placed a hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “It rarely is, but that doesn’t mean you have to diminish your accomplishment. Ezra is back with us. All we can do now is take one step at a time and deal with whatever happens next.”

Sighing, Sabine nodded. She knew it was true, but that didn’t make it any easier. “The funny thing is, I’m almost happy to be doing something different. Ruling a planet can get a little repetitive.”

A light laugh escaped Hera’s mouth. “Missing the old days?”

“Always.”

“Me too. It’s crazy how sometimes the most hectic and dangerous times are the times we miss the most.”

A smile formed on the edge of Sabine’s mouth. “Those are the times when I felt most alive. When I was getting out of that stronghold with Ezra, it felt like the old days again. I didn’t even think not to trust him, it just came so naturally. Only when I thought back on it did I think to question that trust.”

“Trust is important to have. Sometimes you just have to have faith, even if it seems like the foolish thing to do. If you hadn’t trusted him, you may not have gotten out of there.” Hera gently squeezed Sabine’s shoulder. “You did good, Sabine.”

Sabine looked at Hera and smiled. Then she looked at Ezra. “He did good too.”

“Yes, he did. And we’ll be sure to tell him when he’s healed. For now though, why don’t we sit down and you can fill me in on everything. Then I’ll fill you in on what happened here.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

After Sabine had told Hera how Ezra had turned back to the light and how they had managed to escape, Hera started filling her in as promised.

“When you got taken, things got hectic really fast. Your guards were a mess. We immediately started trying to figure out how the Inquisitors had gotten past security, and once we identified their ship, we started trying to track it - though for a while it seemed like a lost cause. All of the other representatives were also sent extra guards to assure their safety. But that stretched our rescue team pretty thin. So we also contacted a few other systems that hadn’t come to see if they would help.” Hera paused and smiled at something over Sabine’s shoulder. Sabine turned around and saw Zeb standing in the doorway.

“That’s when I contacted Zeb.”

Sabine couldn’t help but grin. And with no guards around to frown at her, she jumped to her feet and raced over to give Zeb a hug. Yes, he was smelly, but he was her friend, and she hadn’t seen him for years, so she could deal with smelly.

“Uff, wasn’t expecting that,” he said, even as he hugged her back. “I was told you were in a room, restricted from seeing anyone.”

Sabine laughed, “As if that would stop me.” When she stepped back from the hug, she took a look at him. He looked just about the same as he always had, though he had a dark blue uniform now. It was a Lasat guard uniform from what she could guess - but it suited him.

“Nothing stops you when you put your mind to it. You didn’t even give me a chance to try and bust you out before you went and did it yourself.” He grinned at her, then walked over and gave Hera a hug as well.

“Well, I didn’t break out on my own.” Sabine gestured to the tank where Ezra was suspended.

Zeb looked at the tank and frowned then looked at Hera. “So what you said was true. About him going dark?”

“Yes, but he’s back now...I think,” Sabine said, looking back at the tank.

There was silence for a few moments, then she looked back at Hera. “You didn’t finish telling me what happened.”

“Actually, I did. We were still gathering forces and trying to to find you when you landed.”

“Oh,” Sabine said. It didn’t seem like she had missed much, but then again, she hadn’t been captured for that long.

Zeb placed a hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “Glad you were able to get out of there when you did though. There’s no telling what those Inquisitors might have done to you.”

Sabine smiled, and for a moment she felt at peace. Things weren’t perfect, but she was here with Zeb and Hera. And Ezra was getting better. Things were starting to look up.

Then a loud bang sounded through the air and Sabine quickly looked back at the tank. Instead of floating peacefully, Ezra was looking at them, confusion written all over his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta/proof readers!
> 
> Also, special thanks to my Camp NaNo cabin for helping me come up with an escape plan!


	6. Cutting Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on Coruscant, Sabine finds that while Ezra may be better, he is still healing mentally. The sins of his past haunt him and Sabine tries her best to help him to forgive himself and move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

A few days later, Sabine walked through the halls of the senate building. After the events of the past few days, any meetings had been put on hold until security could be improved. It also gave a chance for systems to send new delegates and to mourn those who had been killed. But she knew there would be more meetings soon. And she wasn’t looking forward to them. After all of the recent action, the thought of having to sit through meetings and talk about small little details sounded very dull. Ruling had already started becoming tedious, this recent change in her life - and reminder of what she really loved - made her wonder if she should consider stepping down. That’s how she felt at least, but she didn’t know if that could actually happen. She was in charge of a lot, and she was one of the main reasons Mandalore hadn’t been a big problem with other systems recently. But she wondered if there could be a better way to go about this whole ruling business.

As she walked, Sabine found herself heading towards the medical section of the building. Ezra had woken up but he had still been confined to a med center room. Part of this was because people didn’t trust him, that was evident by the addition of guards to his room. That made sense though. After all, he had attacked many of them only a few days ago. She was okay with the situation though. It meant he would be monitored and would be allowed to heal fully. In the past people had woken in bacta tanks sooner than expected, but that still didn’t mean he was one hundred percent yet.

When Sabine walked up to the room, she frowned when she didn’t see his guards anywhere. Hurrying into the room, she stopped in her tracks. Ezra wasn’t on his bed. He wasn’t in the room at all! After the shock wore off, a small smile grew on Sabine’s face - he must have gotten fed up with being confined, just as she had. But at the same time, she knew the consequences for him sneaking away would be worse than for her, and he could still be a danger to people, after all his mental state was unstable.

Quickly walking out of the room, she searched the whole medical wing but didn’t find Ezra anywhere. Forcing herself to stop, she tried to figure out where he might go. When she had woken up, she had wanted to see him, to make sure he was doing ok. Would he have done the same? Turning around, she headed back to the living quarters of the building, but Ezra wasn’t in her room. She also checked in Hera and Zeb’s rooms, but he wasn’t there either.

“So much for that idea…” she muttered, looking out of the window in Zeb’s room. It had a view of one of the parks of the metropolitan planet. She was about to look away, this was a waste of time, but then a thought struck her and she looked at the park again. Could Ezra be outside of the complex? It was worth a shot.  
A few minutes later, Sabine was outside in the busy streets of Coruscant. Her guards - who she had managed to slip away from inside the complex - had found her again, and as much as she wanted them to simply let her be, they had a job to do and wouldn’t be sent away. It made sense, though, after all, they had been pretty upset when she had been kidnapped under their watch. But as good as their intentions were, sticking close to her would only highlight her importance and make her more of a target. Because of this, she had ordered them to blend in more, though they still stayed close enough to assist or protect her if needed.

Heading in the direction of the park, Sabine couldn’t help but wonder if this was a silly idea. It would’ve been very difficult for Ezra to sneak out of the compound. Would he really waste this much effort just to go to a park? There were people everywhere, and there were bound to be cameras that might spot him as well. Getting out here unnoticed would’ve been almost impossible. But as she entered the large grassy area, Sabine was met with a sense of calm. It wasn’t the most natural place, but it felt more so than any other parts of the city, even with the groups of people milling about. Maybe Ezra would try to get out here, just to be away from the confining med center. Sabine did her best to steer clear from the crowds, heading towards the parts with more trees and less noise. Her guards were more obvious in these parts, but she tried to ignore them and let herself enjoy the created nature while keeping an eye out for Ezra.

“Sabine?”

Her head snapped upward to where the voice had come from. Ezra was sitting on a tree branch, looking down at her. He wasn’t wearing his hospital gown. Instead he wore a simple shirt, vest, pants, and boots. Though they looked a tiny bit big on him. Sabine wondered where he had gotten them.

“There you are!” she said, letting out a relieved breath. “Do you know how mad the nurses are going to be when they found out you left?”

Ezra frowned. “They won’t realize it for a while. I sent them off to help other people.” He sighed and jumped down to the ground. Sabine stepped forward to help him, but he landed firmly on the ground. So maybe he was fully recovered. “I just had to get out of that room…”

“I know the feeling, it gets a little constrictive after a while.” Sabine said, remembering how restless she had gotten when she had been stuck in one of the white walled rooms. But even then she knew that being unsupervised probably wasn’t the best thing for him. “You still shouldn’t have come out here alone though.”

“Yeah, I know…”He sighed and looked away, Sabine didn’t even know if he had heard her. His mind was far away from the conversation at hand.

“Ezra? Are you ok?” She took a step forward worriedly. A moment ago he had seemed almost like his old self, but now he looked years older.

He sighed again then looked at the ground for a moment before raising his head to look at her. “I was ok...for a few days. I thought everything was back to normal but...I keep...I keep seeing people. People I’ve killed. Then I started dreaming of them...and I…” He looked away again. “I did so many terrible things, Sabine.”

Walking up next to him Sabine placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ezra, that wasn’t you.”

“Yes it was, Sabine. It may not have been the best me, but it was still my hands that did it. I still did it all willingly.” He glanced as his hands as he spoke, and she could see that they were shaking a little bit.

Sabine didn’t know what to say to help him. She wanted to assure him that it wasn’t him, that he was separate from those actions, but that wasn’t all true. He still had his memories, they would always be a part of him. After a few moments she spoke again. “You know, sometimes when I’ve gone through a big change, I make an outward change. To signify a new start. Maybe that’s what you need?”

After a few more moments of silence, Ezra looked back at her, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. “Well, it couldn’t hurt to try.”

Sabine felt a small wave of relief wash over her. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. “I know just where to start.”

It was a little difficult to get Ezra back to the Ghost. First of all, her guards were paranoid about her being around Ezra. Last time she had been around him she had been kidnapped so she knew they had a right to be worried. They wanted to take him back to the medcenter right away, but Sabine argued that Ezra would do better away from the medical center. She knew they were still hesitant and Ezra offered to plant an idea in their minds to make them go do something else, but Sabine knew that was wrong. So instead she simply told the guards that she would be responsible for Ezra. As an assurance for this, and her safety, she let them follow her without any complaining, they were only doing their jobs after all. People cast curious glances at them, but no one tried to stop them, and soon they were in the docking bay of the complex. Sabine ordered two of the guards to keep watch on the ramp, and then let the other stay in the cargo hold so he could get to her quickly if she needed help.

“It still looks the same…” Ezra said running his hand along the wall as he walked through the ship. Before Sabine could stop him, he opened the door to his cabin and walked inside.

Sabine was about to follow him but stopped herself. This was a moment he needed for himself.

Leaving him to his thoughts, she turned around and made her way to her old bunk. She bent down and opened one of the drawers under her bed. Just as she guessed, a few of her old hair dyes were still inside, along with some bleaching agent. It might be a little old, but she had used older, so she knew it would still work. Placing the dyes on her bed, she went back to see how Ezra was doing.

Walking into his room, she froze when she saw him holding his old lightsaber. He handled it delicately, like it could break at even the slightest jolt.

“I thought this was destroyed,” he whispered, his eyes glued to the hilt.

“Hera said Kanan kept it,” Sabine said, taking a few steps forward.

There was silence for a few moments, then Ezra’s fingers tightened around the hilt. “Where’s my other saber?” His voice had hardened.

Worry built up in Sabine’s chest. His face was unreadable. She didn’t know what he was thinking. “You mean the Inquisitor blade? I...I don’t know. It might still be on the ship.”

“I need to find it,” he said firmly.

“Why?” Sabine asked, making sure she was standing between him and the doorway in case he tried to force his way out to find it.

Ezra looked at his old green saber, unignited in his palm, then at her. “It’s part of my old life. I need to get rid of it.”

Sabine relaxed. He wanted to get rid of his saber, to cut all ties with what he had done. “I’ll go see if I can find it,” she said, quickly deciding that it would be best if she went out, in case anyone recognized him. “Will you be okay staying here?”

He nodded, his hand still clamped around his saber. His gaze seemed unfocused, and she wondered if he was remembering all the things that had happened on this ship, just as she had when she had boarded it for the first time in ages.

Not wanting to leave him but also wanting to help, Sabine reluctantly left the Ghost. Her guards straightened when they saw her and she let one of them come with her while ordering the other two to guard the ship which they seemed okay with. They were definitely still wary of Ezra. Sabine started searching the docking bays to see if she could find Ezra’s ship. It took quite a while, but eventually she found it tucked away in the corner of a bay. It seemed no one had flown it, and she wondered if that because it was still armed.

She touched the control panel and said the code phrase. The door opened, and she was allowed inside. She thought she would have to search the ship for the lightsaber, but she found it in between two crates in the cargo bay, right where Ezra had passed out. Picking it up, she clipped it to her belt and used her cloak to hide it from any prying eyes. She didn’t want to be questioned on why she had it. That would only bring up more questions that might lead to people finding out that Ezra was out of confinement. From what he had said, he still had some time before people would realize he there, and she didn’t want to cut that time down. Ezra needed some time to adjust, and if people started constricting him again, she doubted he would be able to do so.

When she reached the Ghost she nodded to her guards and was about to enter the code when the cargo door opened.

“I found it!” she said, starting to walk up the ramp only to stop when she saw Hera standing at the top of it.

“Found what exactly?” Hera said, crossing her arms.

Sabine ran her hand along the back of her neck. “Umm, well,” she walked up the ramp until she was next to Hera. “Ezra wanted his old saber. He wants to get rid of it, cut ties and everything. So I went and found it.”

“Ezra, who is supposed to still be in the medcenter?” Hera asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly.

“He wanted some time away from there, Hera. I know he needs to get back, but I think he needs time to...come to terms with everything.”

There were a few moments of silence. Hera looked off in the distance, thinking, then she uncrossed her arms and sighed. “Alright, but he needs to go back soon. The other representatives would be up in arms if they knew he wasn’t there now.”

Sabine nodded firmly. “I’ll take him back as soon as he’s ready. Promise.”

Hera nodded. “Good. Meanwhile I’ll try to convince everyone that he isn’t a threat anymore. I’ve been trying to for the past few days.” She rubbed her head as she spoke, and Sabine realized how much effort Hera must be putting into assuring everyone of Ezra’s change of heart. “If you could stop by sometime and give your testimony as well, that would be really helpful.”

“I will,” Sabine said. She knew Ezra was still struggling, and he may not be back to normal, but she also knew he wasn’t the Inquisitor he was before.

“Good,” Hera said and walked down the ramp before turning to look back at her. “And Sabine, keep an eye on him.”

“I already have been, Hera,” Sabine said then watched her walk away before turning and making her way back to Ezra’s room. She found him sitting on his bunk, his eyes closed and his hands wrapped around his saber. But he didn’t look the same as before. He had different clothes on. A simple orange shirt, tan pants, brown boots, and a old trench coat. They made him look younger and more innocent, especially his orange shirt, which reminded Sabine of when she had first met him. But despite that, he was still different. There were deeper lines on his face that had developed with age and they highlighted all the changes he had been through.

“Where did you get the clothes?” Sabine asked before she could stop herself.

Ezra looked up at her then at the clothes. “Hera gave them to me...some of my old clothes.” He paused and touched the coat. “And some of Kanan’s…” He trailed off then looked at her again. “Did you get it?”

She nodded and pulled it out from underneath her cloak. “How are you going to destroy it?”

“Simple,” he said and held out his hand. The saber lifted off of her hands and moved towards him until it was floating in midair. Then he stood up and ignited the green saber.

Sabine’s eyes were drawn to it. She hadn’t seen it used since the day Mandalore had come under her rule. Its blade glowed the same as before, and it hummed as Ezra swung it, cutting through the other saber’s hilt and rendering it useless.

Ezra stared at the broken saber for a few moments then let out a sigh. “Now it won’t hurt anyone again.” After a few more moments, he retracted the green saber and placed it inside a gun holster - which was another addition to his new outfit. Then he looked up at her. “What was it that you brought me here for again? I assume it wasn’t the saber?”

“Actually, I was going to show it to you,” she said, a small smile growing on her face. “But you’re right. Take off the jacket and meet me in the bathroom. Sometimes this can be a little messy.”

\----------------------

It took longer than planned for Sabine to finish with Ezra, but then again bleaching and dying hair wasn’t exactly a fast process. But it her mind, it was worth it. Stepping back, she let him look at himself in the mirror.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he reached up and fingered the dyed tips of his hair. She was expecting that though, it was a big change after all. She had clipped his hair some and bleached the tips, only to dye them blue and green. For a last touch she had put his hair in a ponytail as a shout out to Kanan. Though Ezra’s hair was unruly and a few strands of it refused to be pulled back.

“Well?” She asked after he had been silent for a few moments.

He hesitated, then spoke. “I never thought I’d let you dye my hair...I wouldn’t have picked this out myself, but...it works. A new style for a new life, right?”

“Right.” She nodded in agreement.

He lifted his hand and fingered the ponytail. She was pretty sure he was thinking of Kanan too, but he didn’t seem opposed to it.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside of the bathroom, coming from the cargo hold. Sabine quickly poked her head out to see Hera, who must have been returning from her meeting about Ezra. She was about to call out to her to see what she thought of Ezra’s new look, but the grim expression on her face stopped her.

“Hera, what’s wrong?”

Sabine kept her eyes on Hera, but she felt Ezra poke his head out as well. Before Hera could speak, his voice echoed through the hall.

“Kanan.”

Hera looked at Ezra, barely seeming to notice his haircut. “Yes. We just got a transmission from the Inquisitors...they say they have him.” She paused for a moment, a pained expression on her face. “And the only way they'll release him is if you go back to them, Ezra. Alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta/proof readers!


	7. The Call of the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up on Sunday!
> 
> Summary: The Inquisitors have Kanan, and the Ghost crew has a plan. But sometimes things don’t always turn out as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

“How do we know they really have him?” Sabine asked. From the worried look in Ezra’s eyes, it seemed that he could sense it. But it may be that the Inquisitors were just trying to bait Ezra in to try and turn him to the dark again. If that was their plan, Sabine wasn’t going to let them succeed.

“They sent a hologram of Kanan,” Hera said, her voice shaking slightly. The pain in her voice was evident. “He spoke. He tried to tell us not to come, but then they cut him off…”

“How did they find him? I thought he was in hiding?” Sabine knew she sounded incredulous, but it all seemed too circumstantial…

“I don’t know…” Hera said, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

“Sabine, was there a droid on the ship we escaped on?”

Sabine quickly looked at Ezra, a frown forming on her face. “Yes, but I kicked it out...why?”

Ezra closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “The droid knew where Kanan was…”

“What?” Sabine stared at him, her eyebrows narrowing in confusion. “Ezra, how could a droid know?”

He sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyelids. “When I was still an Inquisitor I tried to find Kanan. I think….I thought that if I found him and…” he paused. He didn’t have to speak for Sabine to pick up on what he was implying. “I thought maybe it would help my guilt. Help me forget. It took a while but one day I found him. But I couldn’t bring myself to...so I left. The droid was with me.” Ezra slammed his fist against the wall. “I knew I should have wiped its memory.”

Sabine placed a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “We can’t change that now, Ezra, but we can figure out what we are going to do next.”

“There’s not much to figure out. I have to go alone. They’ll know if anyone comes with me.” Ezra was staring at the wall, resolve written all over his face. He wasn’t fooling around.

“That’s not an option,” Sabine said quickly. “We can find another way.”

“I agree with Sabine. You aren’t going alone.” Hera paused for a moment, she crossed her arms and stared at the floor. Then she let out a breath. “But we also have to consider what Kanan would want. He has always been willing to sacrifice himself for others, and he told us to stay away.”

Hera’s voice was hesitant, and she didn’t make eye contact the whole time. She wasn’t thrilled about her own choice of words, but she meant what she said.

“I’m not going to let Kanan die because of my mistakes, Hera,” Ezra said. “It’s my fault he’s in danger now. I’ve let him down enough as it is. I can’t do it again.” Guilt layered his voice, but his hands were clenched into fists and his gaze was firm. Nothing would change his mind. But Sabine was determined to do what she could to help.

“And you won’t,” Sabine said quickly. “But you aren’t going alone.”

“I have to, Sabine,” he looked at her in desperation. “If I show up with anyone else, they’ll kill Kanan before I can do anything. I was with them for years, I know they will.” His voice cracked, and Sabine pulled him into a hug.

“Then we will just have to be extra careful.”

Ezra pulled away from her hug. “No, there isn’t a way. I’m going alone.” He pushed past her and Hera, heading for the cargo bay.

“We can’t let him do this alone,” Sabine said, looking desperately at Hera.

“We won’t, but we need to come up with a plan.”

 --------------------

A few hours later Sabine, Hera, Chopper, and Zeb were all in the cockpit of the Ghost, looking at a bleak planet. There were no bright stars around it, which resulted in darkness covering the whole place. Only a few people lived there, and no one stayed there by choice. Not that they would be seeing any of the inhabitants. The coordinates that the Inquisitors sent wasn’t near any of the population.

“I sure hope Ezra actually gives the signal.” Zeb said, tightening and loosening his grip on his bo rifle as he spoke. Hera and Sabine had filled him in on the situation, and he had insisted on coming along.

After devising a plan, Hera had convinced Ezra to let them help. Once he had assurance that Kanan was safe, then he would turn on a tracker which was their signal to fly to the meeting place in the Phantom. Many of the other representatives had offered to help as well, but Ezra had refused to let anyone else get involved. Sabine even had to order her guards to stay on Coruscant - much to their disapproval.

“He will,” Sabine said, her voice firm but her mind less so. Her muscles were taut as she waited, hoping that her trust in Ezra was well founded. She didn’t feel as sure as she had before.

“Well, we better get in the Phantom and head down so we can be close by when he does signal,” Hera said. “Chopper, keep the Ghost ready. We don’t know what we will find down there, but we might need a quick escape.”

Chopper bleeped a few complaints, asking when he was ever not ready.

“Oh there have been plenty of times,” Sabine said, raising her eyebrow at the droid. His complaining was usually annoying, but right now it was appreciated. It helped her relax - if only a little.

Chopper beeped a few more times, complaining about humans being unappreciative even as he headed to the cockpit. He would come through, he always did, even if sometimes it was only in the nick of time.

It only took a few minutes for them to pile into the Phantom and for Hera to take off. They were all silent as they headed to the surface.

Nervousness welled up in Sabine’s stomach. These were the worst type of missions, the ones whose outcome was uncertain and dangerous. Not only was Kanan’s life on the line but Ezra’s as well. If the Inquisitors convinced him to come back to the dark, things could go bad very quickly.

“Anything from the tracker?” Hera asked as the Phantom flew closer to the dark ground.

Sabine looked at the device in her hand and shook her head. “Nothing yet.”

The sounds of the engine humming filled the air yet again. Sabine stared at the tracker in her hand, willing Ezra to press it.

A red light lit up. “He signaled. Let’s go!” Sabine said, tossing the tracker onto one of the empty seats. Then she pulled on her helmet before double checking to make sure both her saber and blasters were clipped on and ready for use. As she did so, she saw Zeb’s grip tighten on his bow rifle. They were all ready for this fight.

Soon the Phantom was on the ground and Sabine drew her blasters as the door lowered.

“I had to land a little further away, we'll have to walk some,” Hera said. “Be careful everyone. We don’t know what we’re getting into.”

Sabine nodded then walked forward, ready to shoot anything, but there was nothing to shoot.

They made their way towards the coordinates. Tall cliffs surrounded them, creating only one path. Sabine didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her jetpack was still broken, and it would take too long for them to try to climb over any of the rocks and cliffs.

A shower of pebbles fell from somewhere above. Sabine frowned, but before she could say anything a few bombs fell down in front of them and started spewing smoke.

“Run!” Hera yelled, and Sabine did as she was told. But after a few moments, she stopped as she realized what the smoke was for. Her mask protected her but it would effect Hera and Zeb, leaving them vulnerable. Every inch of her wanted to keep running, to get to Ezra and help him. But she couldn’t leave Hera and Zeb. She would never forgive herself if something happened to them because she had rushed off.

Narrowing her eyes, Sabine looked around, trying to see through the smoke. She hadn’t heard any voices since Hera’s order to run. The gas must have acted quickly.

Then she heard a thump behind her. Whirling around she saw a dark shape walking towards her. She quickly raised her blasters and fired, but a saber ignited and her shots were deflected. Sabine quickly holstered her blasters and grabbed her darksaber.

As it ignited, Sabine’s body froze involuntarily.

“You were smart wearing a helmet, but you don’t have the Force on your side.” The voice was feminine, but it was cold, evil.

Dark spots started floating across Sabine’s eyes. The Inquisitor was doing something to her, using the Force in a way Sabine had never seen it used before. Soon the spots expanded and the world went black.

 --------------------

The first thing Sabine noticed when she woke up were the cuffs around her wrists. Next, she noticed the laser wall surrounding her. They were in a stronghold of some type. A few other cells lined the edge of the building. There seemed to be holes in the top walls - places for blasters to poke out and attack anyone trying to come in. It wasn’t a prison. Sabine’s best guess was that it must have been some abandoned criminal hideout. Blinking the sand out of her eyes, she looked around and saw Hera and Zeb also bound on the ground next to her. However, they hadn’t woken up yet.

Then she spotted Kanan. He was suspended in the air, blue lights roped around his feet and hands. His head was drooped but his eyes were open, unseeing, but open nonetheless.

Next, Sabine saw the three Inquisitors, two male, one female. They were surrounding someone in another contraption like Kanan’s. It was Ezra. He wasn’t able to move, but even from where she was she could see the anger in his eyes.

“Yes, I can feel your hate. You will be back with us soon, brother.”

Sabine didn’t know which Inquisitor had spoken, but she recognized his voice. He had tried to stop her from getting to Ezra’s ship only a few days ago.

“No, I won’t!” Ezra said, but his voice was strained, though she couldn’t tell if it was from worry or conflict.

“We will see. Once you see your friends die, then you will have nothing left to anchor you to the light.” The Inqusitor turned around, and with his mask lowered she could see that he was Chiss. A dark happiness lit his eyes when he saw her. “Oh look, one of them is awake.”

“I’m not one to go down easy,” Sabine said, glaring at him.

He chuckled lightly. “You don’t have any weapons, and you were taken down even when you had them. You pose no threat.”

“Give me my saber and let me out. Then we will see how small of a threat I am,” Sabine snapped back.

“You are an amusing girl,” the Inquisitor said, now laughing fully. “I like your spirit. I think I will kill you last.”

“No!” Ezra cried out, making Sabine look back at him worriedly.

The Chiss Inquisitor - whom Sabine assumed to be the Thirteenth Brother - grinned evilly at Ezra. Then looked at Hera and Zeb as they started stirring. “And now the rest are waking up. Good. I’m tired of waiting.”

“If you hurt any of them…” Ezra said, his voice shaking in anger. Sabine knew how he felt, but she was also worried for him. He was walking a thin line, and as justified as his anger was, it wasn’t putting him in a good spot mentally.

“I will hurt them, and then you will come back to us, brother. Now I think I will start with the blind Jedi.” Igniting his saber, the Thirteenth Brother stalked over to Kanan and grinned. “Any last words, Jedi?”

“NO!” Ezra yelled again.

Sabine felt her own anger rushing to her face. She got to her feet and walked to the edge of the wall. She needed to do something, but she was stuck inside this cell, and she didn’t see any way to get out of this mess. The only hope was for her to wait until they let down the wall and then try to get the upperhand. That wasn’t much of a hope, but it was the only one she had right now.

“No words, Jedi?” The Thirteenth Brother asked. Then he slowly lifted his saber until was was hovering over Kanan’s heart. The hot light burned through the fabric of his shirt and started burning the skin too. A hungry light grew in the Inquisitor’s red eyes as he started dragging the saber down across Kanan’s chest, making the skin boil.

Even then, Kanan didn’t say anything, though his eyes were closed in pain. Sabine’s jaw clenched, and her hands made fists, anger filling her chest.

“You are no fun,” he said, pulling her saber back for a moment. “It’s a pity your eyes are already broken, but maybe we can make them even worse.” He lifted his saber again, this time aiming the blade at Kanan’s face..

“Wait!”

The Chiss froze and looked at Ezra who was glaring...at Kanan. Dread filled Sabine’s stomach. Was he already falling back to the dark?

“What is it?” The Inquisitor asked, stalking back over to Ezra. “Finally see the truth, brother?”

Ezra looked at him, there was a darkness to his gaze, a hatred that would make anyone freeze. But that wasn’t what made Sabine stare. His eyes. There was a ring of yellow around them. “Yes. Let me kill him.”

“Ezra, no!” Sabine cried out, looking at Hera and Zeb desperately, but they looked as shocked as her.

The Thirteenth Brother laughed. “I knew we could get you back, brother. You just needed the right motivation.”

Ezra nodded. His face was full of anger, there wasn’t much blue left in his eyes. Sabine’s heart fell. How could he turn so quickly? He regretted what he did, why was he turning back to it now?

“Ezra, don’t listen to them. I know you don’t want this! Fight it, Ezra!”

“Eleventh Sister, shut her up,” the Thirteenth Brother said pointing at her. “If she opens her mouth again, feel free to shock her.”

Sabine glared at the feminine figure that walked up to the cage. Unlike the others, she still had her mask on, thus her species was a mystery. Lifting up her hand, she hit a button on the side of the cage and a bolt of electricity zapped Sabine from the cuffs around her wrists, filling her body with pain and making her ears ring. Sabine didn’t care about the pain though.

“Ezra, you found the light again. Don’t lose it!”

Another shock of lightning.

“Be quiet.”

This time, it wasn’t an Inquisitor but Ezra himself. He didn’t sound conflicted, only mad. He looked at the two male Inquisitors. “Let me finish them.”

“Of course, brother.” The Fifteenth Brother - who was the Mirialan Sabine had first fought at the summit - hit a button and the light strips holding Ezra disappeared. He fell but landed on his feet, then he looked up and zeroed in on the Mirialan’s saber.

“I need to borrow a saber,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Use mine,” the Thirteenth Brother said, handing him his saber. “Welcome back, brother.”

Ezra grabbed the saber and stalked towards Kanan.

“Ezra, don’t do this!” Sabine called out, her heart was breaking. She couldn’t believe this was happening. The electricity that struck her wasn’t a match for the pain that was growing inside of her chest. Ezra was gone again.

Ezra didn’t seem to even register Sabine’s words as he walked up to Kanan. The other Inquisitors walked up behind him, and even the Eleventh Sister left her post to follow. They didn’t want to miss a thing. Sabine wanted to look away, but she couldn’t, even when she heard Hera whisper ‘please no.’

“Ezra.”

Sabine froze as she heard Kanan. His voice was pained, quiet, and broken. Proof that he had indeed been treated poorly during his captivity.

“Now the Jedi speaks…” the Thirteenth Brother said in a growl.

“I forgive you, Ezra.”

Ezra was already standing in front of Kanan, but he didn’t move for a few seconds. Hope fluttered in Sabine’s chest.

“Pitiful last words.”

“What do you expect from a Jedi?”

“Go ahead, brother. Finish him.”

Ezra lifted his saber.

“No!” Sabine cried again, this time her voice echoed through the chamber along with Hera and Zeb’s.

Then Ezra’s saber swung down. But it missed. It passed by Kanan’s side and then swung to the ground before arching up again, stabbing the Thirteenth Brother in the chest.

A gasp escaped the Inquisitor’s mouth. He looked at the saber in shock. Then Ezra pulled it back and he fell, dead.

“I am never going to hurt my family again,” Ezra said in a low voice. Then he lunged at the two remaining Inquisitors. His battle cry echoed through the room.  
His saber collided with one saber but he quickly ducked and spun around as another attack barely missed his head. Blocking the next strike, Ezra held out one hand and a second later his green saber was in his hand. It ignited and he held it in front of him along with the red saber. His eyes glowed in anger. They were fully orange now.

“Brother, do you not realize how foolish you are being?” The Eleventh Sister said even as she swung at his head.

“NO ONE HURTS MY FAMILY!” Ezra yelled at her and a wall of Force sent her flying backwards.

“Ezra…”

Sabine barely heard Kanan’s weak voice through the turmoil. She looked at him, he looked worried and Sabine shared the sentiment. Looking back at Ezra, she saw him spinning and striking, moving smoothly and expertly. The light of the sabers shone on his face and she saw the hatred lined all over his face. As she watched, she saw that the Fifteenth Brother and Eleventh Sister were starting to falter. Ezra was fighting for his family...but he wasn’t himself.

Spinning to avoid another attack, Ezra yelled and jabbed his green saber into the chest of the Eleventh Sister. He lowered the saber, and she slid off of it.

Then he turned to the Fifteenth Brother and un-ignited his sabers, letting them fall to the ground. Lifting up his hand, the Inquisitor rose into the air as Ezra stalked towards him.

“Please, brother, I am sorry!” The Inquisitor cried in a choked voice, trying to plead with Ezra even as his air passages were being crushed.

“No…” Kanan’s voice was meant to carry to Ezra, but it wasn’t strong enough.

“You will be sorry!” Ezra said in a low voice and tightened his hand into a fist. The Fifteenth Brother struggled for a few more moments then stilled.

Ezra’s hand relaxed, and the Inquisitor fell to the ground. He stood staring at the Fifteenth Brother for a few moments before glancing at his hands which were starting to shake. Then he fell to his knees. He turned and looked at Sabine. His eyes were wide and tears were pooling in them. Remorse was written all over his face as his eyes started changing to back to blue. Even as she watched, he seemed to be growing paler. He reached out his hand and the door to the cell dissipated. Then he fell to the ground.

“Ezra!” Sabine called and raced to where he had fallen. She didn’t know what had just happened, but she was scared. Something was wrong. Everything that he had done...it had worked, yet it hadn’t been the right way to go about it. It wasn’t something her Ezra would do, not without the influence of the dark side.

Upon reaching him, Sabine dropped to the ground and placed her hand on his chest. His heart was beating, but something was wrong. He was cold.

“Ezra,” she said his name again and shook him gently. There was no response.

She heard the shuffling of feet and looked up to see Kanan, Hera, and Zeb walking towards her. Both Zeb and Hera were supporting Kanan.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked as soon as Kanan was close enough to hear her.

“He called on the dark side to fight...it happened once before, but this time was worse. His desire to protect opened him up to the dark. It didn’t overwhelm him then but now…” Kanan trailed off, a thoughtful frown grew on his face. “The dark had more power over him. It drained him.”

“He’ll be ok though, right?” Sabine asked, looking at Ezra again. Worry was eating away at her stomach.

“I don’t know, Sabine…” Kanan said in defeat. “I don’t know…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) and [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) for proofreading!
> 
> I tried to make it clear who was who regarding the Inquisitors, but if anyone is still confused here is a little summary:  
> -The Thirteenth Brother - the Chiss, also the Inquisitor who took charge once Ezra turned back to the light. He was also the one who tried to stop Sabine from reaching the ship when her and Ezra were escaping.  
> -The Fifteenth Brother - the Mirialan Inquisitor, Sabine first fought against him during the summit meeting.  
> -The Eleventh Sister - Unknown species, she is the one that made Sabine black out in this chapter.
> 
> Also, I drew a picture of a scene in this chapter for Inktober, you can [check it out here](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/151408174758/inktober-day-5-i-decided-to-draw-a-scene)


	8. Closure (Epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years later, things are different. Sabine is leaving Mandalore, and the future looks promising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Cover](http://aceofstars16.deviantart.com/art/Escape-from-the-Dark-630372228)   
>  [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj)

Two years later, Sabine stood on the ramp of her ship and looked at the spaceport. She was leaving Mandalore. And today she wasn’t leaving it as its ruler. No, this time she was leaving it as a citizen. Free to go wherever she liked with no guards to follow her, no schedules to manage, and no formalities to keep. It had taken a long time, but a new ruling system had been set in place and, after elections, a new leader was taking charge - one that was proven to be on fairly good terms with the New Republic. Yes, she was leaving Mandalore in good hands. Running a hand through her hair, she grinned at the odd sensation of how short it was. Yesterday she had cut it, styling it in a pixie cut. She had dyed it orange fading into a peach color near the tips. It was a new look for a new chapter in her life.

“I thought you were going to let me pick out your new style.”

Sabine couldn’t stop a small smile from popping up on her face as she saw Ezra walk to the bottom of the ramp. The past year had been hard on him. After he woke up from his coma, he had stayed with Hera and Kanan for a while. But the constant traveling to and from different systems put too much stress on his mental state. So he had come to Mandalore to see if being in one place would help. Things had been better, but he had still dealt with nightmares almost every night. Sabine had helped when she could, but she had been busy. Despite his hardships, however, he was looking better. He was healing, even if it was slow progress. He was acting like himself most of the times. He had also kept the hairstyle she had given him, though his hair had grown out. That had resulted in him clipping it some, but he always let her re-dye the tips.

“There is no way I’m letting you pick my hairstyle,” she said, unconsciously running a hand through her hair again.

Ezra held up his hands innocently and walked up the ramp so he was standing in front of her. “I let you pick out mine. It’s only fair that you let me pick out yours.”

“That’s because I have style,” Sabine said, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

“Hey now, I have style!” Ezra grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

Sabine couldn’t help but laugh at that and this time she put some force into the shove she gave him as she turned around and headed into the ship. “The only reason you have any style is because I rubbed it off on you.”

She heard his boots run up the ramp until he was walking next to her. “All that aside, how does it feel?”

Sabine had reached the cockpit, and she looked over at Ezra. His blue eyes were looking at her curiously. She was glad to see that he could look like his normal self these days. “Well, I’m still on Mandalore. I’ll let you know when we are in space.” She sat down in the pilot seat even as she thought about the question. Yes, she was happy to not be in charge of so many people, glad things had worked out, and that she was free to do what she wanted. But she also wasn’t sure where to begin. She had gotten so used to the way things had been that this change was almost daunting.

“Speaking of space, where are we going first?” Ezra asked, sitting in the copilot seat and propping his legs up on the control panel.

Sabine quickly shoved his legs off. “That’s a good way to make a ship do something you don’t want it to do.” Then she started getting the ship ready for lift off - closing the hangar door, preparing the engines - all while avoiding his question.

“Nothing, huh?” he asked.

She could feel his gaze resting on her, but she kept her attention on the ship and lifting it off of the ground. Ezra didn’t speak again until they were in the sky, heading towards the atmosphere.

“So…?”

Sabine wished she needed to focus on flying, but most of the difficult parts were over with. After a few seconds she sighed. “I don’t know.”

“If you don’t have a plan...I might have somewhere we could go.”

Looking up from the controls, Sabine stared at him for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. “Really? Where?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said, then pointed to the chair she was sitting in. “How about it?”

She frowned for a moment, but then stood and let him take her chair while she took his. Not knowing where she was going was a little unnerving - more so that it should have been. After all those years of knowing so much, being in the dark was odd - but it was also welcome. She knew Ezra wouldn’t pick any place too crazy - or at least she trusted he wouldn’t.

Ezra sat down and started typing in coordinates, but Sabine couldn’t make out what they were. After a few seconds he nodded. “There!” He punched one last button sending them into hyperspace.

“So, how long will it take us to get to this surprise destination?” Sabine asked.

Ezra frowned and shook his head. “I’m honestly not sure, but it shouldn’t be too long.”

“Straight and to the point as always,” Sabine said, rolling her eyes.

He just grinned, then leaned back in the chair. Only Sabine’s glare stopped him from putting his boots up on the control panel again.

Sabine frowned at him for a few moments, but then let out a breath and leaned back as well. She wasn’t on a time limit, there was no reason to be anxious. And so she closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the hum of the ship.

 ---------------------

“Lothal?” Sabine asked, staring at the planet in the viewport. She glanced at Ezra, but he was still looking at the planet. He had even more memories there than she did, some good, some bad. “Why did you want to come here?”

“I figured it was time,” Ezra said, looking at the planet for a few moments. Then he turned to face her, but he still seemed lost in thought. “So much has changed. I’ve changed a lot, and I just...I wanted to see...how it’s changed too.”

Sabine didn’t know what to say, so she simply placed a hand on his leg and gave him a small smile. He smiled back then looked back at the planet.

The descent into the atmosphere was filled only with the hum of the ship’s engine. It was familiar, and yet she hadn’t been to Lothal in so long it also felt different. They weren’t on the Ghost; they weren’t being chased or on a mission. They were just, there. The grassy hills of the planet grew larger in the viewport and soon the ship was sitting on a hill. Sabine knew they probably could’ve landed inside one of the cities, but they had rarely ever done so on the Ghost. This seemed more appropriate.

Ezra sat in his seat, not moving. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering device so tightly. Sabine reached over and placed her hand on top of his.

“We don’t have to go out yet if you don’t want to.”

He closed his eyes then released his grip from the wheel and let his hands drop into his lap. “No, I need to see,” he said, getting up and heading towards the cargo bay. Sabine quickly followed him until he stopped at the ramp, his hand hovering over the release button.

She reached over and grabbed his hand. His fingers quickly tightened around hers. There were a few seconds of silence, then he pushed the button, and the door opened.

A rush of warm wind blew in from outside, carrying the scent of Lothali grass as it rustled Sabine and Ezra’s hair. In the same instant it seemed to break Ezra from his worry. He stepped forward once, twice, then he was running down the ramp. Only when he was on the ground did he stop.

Sabine, whose hand had fallen out of his grasp, followed a little slower - taking in the planet. It still looked the same as when she had last been here. Soon she reached Ezra’s side, and she saw that his eyes were closed. He was simply breathing in the air, but there was more to it than that.

He could feel the Force all around them. There were memories here that he could feel far more than she could - some good, some not so much. A smile would grow on his face only to be replaced with expressions of sadness, pain, or anger.

Sabine reached out to take his hand again, but hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to intrude on something, but she wanted to be there for him. After another moment she gently grabbed his hand. There was stillness for a moment. Then a wave of memories rose up and washed over her. It was as if she was reliving his memories with him. The smiling face of a man and woman faded into training with Kanan, which turned into black smoke filling the sky. More and more memories rushed through Sabine’s head. Years of Ezra surviving on the streets. Lonely nights with no one to talk to. Days without food. Walking into an empty home with Tseebo standing where his parents should have been. Hera flying off, leaving Kanan to the Grand Inquisitor at his command. So much loss and hardship…. He was trusting her with so much, opening himself up to her in a way she hadn’t known he could.

With each memory, Sabine’s hand gripped Ezra’s tighter until she couldn’t stop herself. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tight, wanting to say something, but unable to. His arms wrapped around her, and he dug his head into her shoulder. She only wished she could do more.

Memories continued to flash through Sabine’s mind, but eventually they started to slow. Then Ezra hugged her a little tighter. “Thank you Sabine.” He let go and stepped back. Tears had fallen from his eyes, but they had fallen from her’s as well.

“Do you want to go back to the ship?” Sabine asked, trying to brush away her tears without being too obvious about it.

Ezra shook his head. “No, I still need to see more…”

 --------------------

About an hour later, they were walking into Capital City. It was as big as ever, but it wasn’t the same as before. In the past Stormtroopers had patrolled the streets, and people tended to hide in their homes or walk around cautiously. Now kids were running the the streets. Laughter and conversation filled the air. It was so foreign, but it was also welcome.

Sabine marveled at the difference, but also kept an eye on Ezra. He kept stopping to look at buildings or stalls - no doubt caught up in memories again, but these he didn’t share. Instead he would just start walking again, staying silent and looking around. Sabine let him do what he needed to do. While she did, she caught sight of familiar landmarks and buildings that she hadn’t seen in years - all of which looked better than they ever had before.

A speeder bike passed by them, towing several crates behind it, which reminded Sabine of when she had first met Ezra. How he had showed up during a mission and stolen a bike carrying supply crates that her, Kanan, and Zeb had been stealing from the Empire. Oh how she had changed since then.

Suddenly, Ezra stopped in front of a building. It looked like a normal residency, but as Sabine looked around, she realized there was something familiar about it. Placing a hand on Ezra’s shoulder, she was about to ask him what it was when memories washed over her again. She saw his parents again, and then a door boarded up. Tseebo hiding in the basement. Then the building burning. This had been Ezra’s old home. And now it had been rebuilt and given to someone else…  
“Do you want to see if you can go inside?” Sabine asked, her hand still resting on his shoulder.

Ezra stared at the house for a few more moments but then shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t be the same anyway.” Then he turned away from the house and walked away, not looking back.

Sabine followed, but this time she didn’t even pay attention to her surroundings. She was worried about Ezra. He was strong, but this was hard on him. She didn’t want him to get lost in painful memories. To be swallowed in guilt for all the things he blamed himself for.

As he walked however, Ezra seemed to be heading somewhere. He was focused, no longer getting caught up in every little memory. Sabine only had to wonder where they were going.

Soon the buildings started getting shorter, the roads started getting more beat up, and fewer people were walking around the streets. Soon they were back on the grassy hills outside the city. At first, Sabine thought they were going back to the ship but then she realized that the hills were different here. And then she saw the control tower.

Ezra’s other home. That was where they were headed. She only hoped it hadn’t changed as much as his other home had.

Upon reaching the tower, Ezra tried the door, but it was locked. Instead of trying to pick it, though, he walked over to a vent on the side and popped it open. Inside was a key card. He grabbed it and when he swiped it across the reader on the door, it slid open.

“I didn’t think that would actually work…” he said quietly as he looked at open door.

“Do you want me to stay out here?” Sabine asked. She didn’t want to let him deal with this on his own, but sometimes people needed to sort things out by themselves.

Ezra looked over at her and the smallest hint of a smile touched his mouth. “No, you can come in.” Then he turned, walked in, and flicked the lights on.

Sabine hesitantly followed him inside, then up a set of stairs. Ezra was walking faster than before. He didn’t seem to be remembering anything. He was simply following in his old footsteps, falling back into an old routine his body hadn’t forgotten.

At the top of the stairs was a room. As the lights turned on, Sabine saw dusty belongings scattered across a few tables. Most were Stormtrooper helmets which Ezra had left there for safekeeping, but most of the other trinkets were simple gadgets - things Ezra must have stolen from various Imperials. There wasn’t anything very personal. Ezra had taken all his precious belongings with him when he joined the Ghost crew, but there were still memories.

Unlike before, however, Ezra had a smile on his face as he walked around the room, fingering the few belongings that remained. His hand stopped atop a black Stormtrooper helmet and he picked it up.

“You know, I got this one because of the Ghost.”

Sabine, who had let her gaze roam around the room, looked back at him and tilted her head. “How so?”

“Well, the pilot who owned this helmet was shot down by the Ghost. I thought it was just a lucky find. I didn’t think I’d ever see that ship again...and then I ended up living on it. “ He placed the helmet on his head and laughed. “It actually fits me now.”

A small smile grew on Sabine’s face, glad that he was recalling more pleasant memories. When he took the helmet off, however, he wasn’t smiling. He placed it back on a table and walked to a door which slid open, revealing a balcony.

Sabine followed him outside, pausing for a second as she saw the view from the tower. It was a very tall building; from it she could see Capital City along with all the hills that surrounded it.

Ezra stood at the edge of the tower. He was leaned on the railing, which still looked sturdy, despite a bit of rust.

Walking to the edge, Sabine leaned on the railing as well and looked out across the land. “Quite the view.”

“Yup. I used to come out here a lot to think,” he replied, but his voice sounded uninterested, as if his mind was on something else.

“You thinking now?” Sabine asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Ezra nodded but didn’t say anything for a few moments. Then he straightened and let out a breath. “I needed this.”

“To come back here?”

“Yeah. I thought I was coming here just to see how everything was, but...I also just needed to see. To remember all that has happened. To see how far I’ve come. I needed closure, and now I have it.” A smile had grown on his face, and he looked over at Sabine, “And now? Now I think I can move on, despite the nightmares and the guilt. I’ve been through a lot, but it didn’t destroy me. If I can make it through that, I can make it through this.”

As he spoke, happiness welled up in Sabine’s heart. After two years of him dealing with nightmare after nightmare, of feeling so guilty and upset, he was now letting himself live again. “Yes, you can. And I’ll be right here to help you through it.”

He smiled and looked out at Lothal again. Sabine could see the weight that had been lifted off his shoulders. Yes, he would be fine. And so would she.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading! I am planning on posting one more bonus chapter later this week, which will mostly comprise of acknowledgments, some possible comments on how this fic came to be, and a few deleted scenes. If anyone wants to hear about anything specific (or wants me to simply leave this as the end and add the acknowledgments at the end of this chapter instead) let me know!
> 
> I also drew a scene from this chapter for Inktober, you can check out the inked version [here](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/152493490383/inktober-day-29-i-just-wanted-to-draw-balcony) and the colored version [here](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/152623409098/i-spent-the-majority-of-the-night-working-on-this)


	9. Extras

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a bonus chapter that includes fun, extra bits from the fic including acknowledgements, pictures, and deleted scenes!

**Acknowledgements**

  
First off I want to thank God for giving me the ability to write, and for helping me get through the rough days, especially when writing and editing. This fic wouldn’t exist without Him!

Next, I want to thank [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/). Without her, this fic probably wouldn’t even exist. Not only did she draw a cover for the fic, but she also did the final proof read for each chapter, and helped me work out a lot of aspects of the fic. Thanks so much Sammy, you rock!

Another amazing person who helped make this fic better is [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/)/[HLine](http://archiveofourown.org/users/HLine/pseuds/HLine). She read over each chapter and gave so many wonderful and helpful comments. I know for sure that the fic wouldn’t have been the same without her feedback, especially the climax! Thank you so much!!! <33

I’d also like to thank my Camp NaNo skype group, they helped encourage me to write and helped me figure out how Ezra and Sabine were going to escape the prison (though I didn’t include the cheese spitting llama...maybe one day). You guys rock!

Also, shout out to [meldy-arts](http://meldy-arts.tumblr.com/). Her adorable and awesome art not only made me start shipping Sabezra, but some of her art really made me think of this fic. Plus, seeing new Mira questions on my dash makes me so happy and helped me stay motivated while editing! Thank you so much, keep drawing!

And lastly, thank you all for reading my fic! Every kudo, comment, like, and read through mean so much to me! I hope y’all have enjoyed it as much as me! <33

 

**The Story Behind “Escape From the Dark”**

The idea for this fic popped up when I was just thinking up stories, and as I usually do, those stories related to fandoms. I don’t remember why but for some reason I wanted to come up with something angsty. And the idea of Ezra sacrificing himself to save everyone else popped into my mind. It was just an idea and honestly is changed a lot in my mind and had different endings and outcomes. At one point I told dragonanne about the idea, and by then I had the idea that Sabine was the ruler of Mandalore and would have this epic braid. Then dragonanne drew a picture of Sabine as a ruler. And that was the start. I was determined to write the fic now that it had fanart. The idea was rough, but one night I stayed up and wrote a general outline of it. Then it was time to write.

I only had a week left of summer and I was determined to try to write the whole fic before school started, and before I posted the first chapter. So I did. Much to my surprise, I was able to write over 25,000 words in a little over a week! It was rough and messy, but I had done it - with much encouragement from my friends, and the help of listening to multiple songs on repeat. These songs are the [fic playlist that I’ve shared](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtpUAHvFTqjgyNDQxSHA3htxnWT1qZfsj) at the beginning of each chapter. Not all of the songs relate to the fic itself (though “Stand by You” is the official EftD song in my mind now), but I listened to all of them while writing. But writing was only the beginning.

Before I had even finished writing, I decided I wanted to get a beta, in hopes that it might give me a taste of what editing would be like for my hopeful novels (that are still big WIPs). So I posted on tumblr and wondersmithofastronautalis messaged me. The editing process wasn’t easy. Each chapter was read over by me, then I would send it to wondersmith, edit with her suggestions, send it to dragonanne, edit again, and then finally read through it one more time before posting. Some days I didn’t want to edit, but I was determined to finish posting the whole thing before Season 3 started. I didn’t want to let myself or any of my awesome readers down, so I edited. And people read it! Now, I tend to dream about big things that will never happen, so of course I thought a ton of people would read it and draw fanart of it. But now I realize that it doesn’t matter how many people read it. As long as I had fun doing it, learned from it, and grew as a writer, it is a success. And I hope y’all enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

**Extras**

  
Here are a few extras things that I thought would be fun to share. Some of them I shared in the notes of chapter, some are new.

First off is the cover. If you haven’t seen it you need to! It is so epic!!!! 

"[Escape from the Dark" cover](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/post/149448141769/aceofstars16-chapter-one-is-now-on-ao3)

Next, we have the picture that started the whole fic - dragonanne’s drawing of Sabine as ruler of Mandalore. As you can see, there were a few different ideas for her hair, but I fell in love with the black fading into neon blue.

[Mandalorian Ruler Sabine](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/148943530473/dragonanne-pfft-no-i-totally-didnt-stay-up)

Speaking of hair, I also drew this picture of Sabine with her hair down:

[EftD Sabine](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149628768428/so-i-just-wanted-to-doodle-and-see-what-sabinies)

And this picture of Ezra with bed hair (which kind of goes along with one of the deleted scenes…)

[Bed Hair Ezra](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149632007358/im-not-as-happy-with-this-one-as-my-sabine-one)

While editing the fic, I also came up with an idea for a possible set of one-shots following Sabine’s guards and what was happening to them while Sabine was off doing her own thing. I may still write it, but right now I’m taking a small break to let myself recover from this fic haha. I ended up designing the guards for the fun of it.  
[Sabine's Guards](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149542961383/i-blame-dragonanne-meet-sabines-guards-who)

And after some more brainstorming I designed another guard, and also fiddled with what Sabine’s hairstyle might kind of look like in the epilogue.

[Extra guard and Sabine](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149575615283/dragonanne-here-is-the-other-possible-guard-i)

This next one is a new edition, I drew two of the guards for Inktober this year. It was fun to draw! (And Inktober resulted in a few new drawings for thsi fic)

[Fred and Martin](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/151732863143/inktober-day-12-i-decided-to-draw-my-mandalorian)

These next few pictures are quite feelsy...so you have been warned. First, we have a picture I drew...I think before I had even finished writing the fic. It’s a scene from Chapter 4, when Sabine is trying to get through to Ezra.

[Chapter 4 scene](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149195876078/edit-i-added-a-snibbit-from-the-fic-for-your)

These next two/three pictures I drew for Inktober in 2016, it was super fun drawing fanart for my own fic!

[Chapter 7 Climax Scene](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/151408174758/inktober-day-5-i-decided-to-draw-a-scene)

[Epilogue Scene - Inked](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/152493490383/inktober-day-29-i-just-wanted-to-draw-balcony)

[Epilogue Scene - Colored](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/152623409098/i-spent-the-majority-of-the-night-working-on-this)

This next picture is one of the Sabezra pictures that meldy-arts drew that really made me think of my fic (there are two versions, and I can’t decide which one to show, so y’all get both!)

[Variation 1](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149109834563/rexwrendrawsstuff-just-wondering-about-the)

[Variation 2](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149435725848/meldy-arts-the-kid-we-knew-is-still-in)

And continuing with the dark!Ezra theme, here is an edit that dragonanne found that totally captures what Inquisitor Ezra looks like (aside from the short hair)

[Dark!Ezra](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/150146943778/dragonanne-800lbproductions-embrace-your)

And last but not least, this is another picture that meldy-arts drew. After editing, I realized that it encompasses the climax of the story: Ezra opening up to the dark to protect his family.

[Dark Ezra Protecting Sabine](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/149814637133/meldy-arts-dont-come-near-her-or-my-family) 

Also, if you ever want to look at all things EftD, you can check out my EftD tag on Tumblr

[EftD Tag](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/tagged/eftd)

EftD has it's first fanart! 

[Ezra by angies-team](http://angies-team.tumblr.com/post/156005151830/yeah-i-got-my-sketchbook-back-woot-woot-for)

[Sabine by angies-team](http://angies-team.tumblr.com/post/156045073620/aceofstars16-i-was-practicing-drawing-realistic)

**Newest EftD art**

[Sabezra doodle](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/156294926928/i-was-so-lazy-todaybut-then-i-started-doodling)

[Commission of a scene from "Nightmares"](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/161751678573/i-am-the-master-of-tickling-you-cannot-stop-me) (one of the deleted scenes below) from [meldy-arts](http://meldy-arts.tumblr.com/)

 

**Deleted Scenes**

  
These are scenes that were either written early in the development of the story, before details were figured out, or during the writing process when I needed something fluffier to write. Yes, both of these scenes are fluff...with maybe a touch of angst.

 

** Reunited **

  
I wrote this short little drabble before I knew when Kanan was going to show up in the story. Obviously things changed and this didn’t happen, but I still love the interaction and the fluff. I also posted this drabble [on tumblr](http://aceofstars16.tumblr.com/post/148997473723/reunited-kanera-fic).

__________

Hera sighed as she walked into the room. It had been a long day, and she didn’t have much time to relax before the next meeting took place. She wasn’t required to go, but she was too invested in setting things right to miss it. The room was dark when she walked in, which shouldn’t have been the case because it was daylight outside. Someone had closed the blinds to the window. Reaching for her blaster, she frowned when she remembered that it hadn’t been admitted inside the complex. Letting out a silent breath, Hera carefully felt for the lightswitch, she wasn’t used to these rooms, she didn’t know where everything was, unlike on the Ghost.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

She froze at the voice. It couldn’t be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Or it just sounded like him. He was in hiding. He didn’t know the war was over. He might not even be alive.

But then her hand found the switch and the lights flicked on. And there he was, looking almost the same as when she had last seen him. A black traveling cloak settled over a dark blue jacket and black pants. Black boots and a gun holster - which no doubt held his lightsaber and not an actual blaster - completed his look. He had ditched his old clothes before leaving, they had been a giveaway. He had also gotten rid of his mask, replacing it with a pair of goggles that would cover both his eyes and his scar when they were down. But they were on his forehead now, and his milky blue eyes looked at her, as if he could see her.

“Kanan.” His name came out of her before she could think, as if saying his name would affirm that it was actually him, that this wasn’t just her eyes playing tricks on her.

“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again.”

She could’ve said the same thing. The deep rumble of his voice soothed her. It was something she had missed more than she ever thought she would. When he was gone it was as if a part of her soul was broken, but simply seeing him again mended the pieces back together again. He was here. He was alive. And he was standing in front of her!

Her feet had been moving without her consent, drawing her closer to him until he was only a foot away. He reached out for her and touched her cheek. His quick removal and moving of his hand to her shoulder affirmed that it had been an accident, but she didn’t care either way. Reaching up her own hand she placed it on his and closed her eyes, feeling each finger, as if assuring herself that, yes, this was real. It wasn’t a dream, no matter how much it felt like one.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she said, then froze at her choice of words. She may be able to see him, but he couldn’t see her.

“I promised you a long time ago that we would see each other again. I might not be able to see you, but I can feel you and that’s good enough for me.”

Hera opened her eyes and she felt her heart welling in her chest. He could be silly, and embarrassing, and dorky at times, but oh how she had missed him. The distance between them wasn’t much, but it felt like miles to her. Before she could stop herself she flung her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He smelled of dust and metal. It wasn’t how she remembered him, but it was still him. And as his arms wrapped around her to hug her back, she felt at peace for the first time in a long time. She could have stayed like this forever. This was where she belonged. She still couldn’t believe he was actually here, that he had come back. He had found his way back to her, no matter the obstacles. He was here.

“I love you Hera.”

The words were a little muffled because his face was buried in her shoulder, but the words were unmistakable. And they were unexpected. Jedi weren’t supposed to form attachments, they weren’t supposed to get close, to care about anyone. But at the same time she knew that wasn’t Kanan. He may be a Jedi, but the old way wasn’t his way. It never had been. He cared more deeply than most people she knew. Sometimes he didn’t always show it, but he did. He cared about Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, and yes even Chopper. He showed how much he cared by all he sacrificed for them. And he cared about her, as much as she cared about him. It was crazy to think about it, especially when she remembered how they had first met. Him being a bit of a flirt and a wanderer, whereas she had simply been on a mission. The chances of them working together had been slim, and yet they had. And they continued working together until they were a well oiled machine. Hera never thought she would come to care for him as much as she did, and the time apart only seemed to make those feelings grow even more transparent. Maybe that’s what he was feeling now. What had made him speak up after years of staying quiet. She didn’t know, but she did know what she felt. Holding him just a little tighter she took a deep breath, felting comforted by him yet again, then she said the words that she had been thinking for longer than she could ever remember.

“I love you too Kanan.”

 

 

**Nightmares**

  
This was a short piece (or not so short) that was originally going to be part of Chapter 8, which would have made the current epilogue Chapter 9. But after thinking it over and discussing it with dragonanne, I decided it just didn’t quite fit into the mold of the fic. However I did love the fluffy bit at the end, and since I never had anything super Sabezra in the fic itself, (I tried to keep it open for interpretation between romantic and platonic) I decided to share this with all of my fellow Sabezra shippers. You can take this as you will. In my mind this still happened and in the epilogue Ezra and Sabine are actually dating, but once again, you can interpret it as you wish.

 ----------

Sabine walked down the hall of the palace. It was late at night, and she was exhausted. But it was worth it. After she had brought up making a new governing and electing system to Korkie, he and a few other advisers had been helping her figure out the details. It was still taking a while, but the thought of not being shackled to the throne forever gave Sabine motivation to press on and work as hard as she could. To give her people the best she could while she could.

It was already after midnight, and Sabine was only just making her way back to her room when she heard a yell. She froze. It had come from Ezra’s room. She quickly walked the halls until she reached his room. However, when she reached his door she hesitated, not sure if she should just walk in on him. So she knocked.

No answer.

Carefully she opened the door and looked in, but she couldn’t see anything. All the lights were out and her eyes were still used to the lit hallway.

“Ezra?” she called out into the darkness.

There was silence for a few moments then, “Sabine…” His voice was quiet and shook slightly, something was definitely wrong.

Sabine walked into the room and flipped on a switch turning on a lamp. She saw Ezra on his bed. His hair was all over the place, sticking up in every direction. It would’ve been humorous if not for the distracted look in his eyes which kept flicking to the side, as if he was seeing something he didn’t want to see. Walking over to the door she closed it, then went and sat on the edge of Ezra’s bed. “Ezra what’s wrong?”

He looked at her for a few moments. He had a far off look, but slowly he seemed to focus on her. Then he looked down. “It’s nothing…”

“No it’s not Ezra,” she said firmly, but then regretted it. He didn’t need firm right now. “I heard you scream…”

His hands fiddled with the sheets. He didn’t look up at her for a long while. Then he sighed and spoke. “It was just a nightmare.”

“I think it was more than that Ezra,” she said and reached over to place a hand on his. “I’m want to help you Ezra, but I don’t know how unless tell me what is going on.”

More silence, then he slowly looked up at her. “I keep dreaming about...about what I’ve done…. When I was an Inquisitor...and...and when I killed the others...I...I keep reliving it. I want to stop it. I don’t want to hurt them, but I’m not in control...I thought I was doing better but…” he released a breath that caught in his throat.

Sabine didn’t even hesitate. She leaned forward and hugged him. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t even know how to begin. So she stayed silent. Sympathy gripped her heart as he started crying into her shoulder.

Minutes passed and Sabine felt the need to say something more. “You know it’s ok not to be ok. You went through a lot Ezra. Give yourself time to heal.”

“I did my healing. I just want it to stop. I’m tired of all of the guilt Sabine...I…” his voice caught and he dug his face into her shoulder again. His tears were starting to wet her shirt, but she didn’t mind.

“I know Ezra...I know…” she whispered and rubbed his back with her hand. “I can’t take it away...but I’m here for you Ezra. If you ever need me, just ask.”

She felt his arms wrap around her back as he returned her hug. After another moment, he slowly leaned back and put his hands back to his lap. Only once he wiped his tears away did he look up at her. “Thanks Sabine.”

“No thanks needed, that’s what friends are for,” she said simply, giving him a small smile.

He nodded and looked at his hands again, hesitated, then spoke. “Do you think...you could stay with me? Just till I fall asleep? On the Ghost...sometimes Hera would stay with me and...it helped…”

“Of course. I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

The smallest hint of a smile grew on his face. Then he pulled the sheet over his body and laid down again. After a few seconds though his eyes shot open and he sat up again. “I…” he started, but he didn’t seem able to say more.

Sabine reached forward and took his hand which he grasped tightly. “Want me to sing you some Mandalorian songs? A few of them are originally lullabies. Do you think that might help?”

He clutched her hand a little tighter but nodded.

Taking a deep breath Sabine started singing an old song she remembered her mother singing to her. She knew Ezra couldn’t tell what it said - it was in Mandalorian after all - but after a few moments she felt his hand relax just a little.

After a few repetitions of the song, Ezra had relaxed and soon he was was lying down again. However, even though his eyes were closed, he still clutched her hand. She didn’t know if he was asleep or if letting go of his hand would wake him, so she kept singing. As she did so, she found herself fighting to keep her own eyes open. Every now and again, she had to shake herself to stay awake, but after only a few minutes her eyes would droop again. Whenever this happened, her voice would lower as sleep threatened to overtake her. Again and again this happened until one time she didn’t catch herself, and sleep won the fight.

 ------

Sabine’s eyes snapped open. Her internal clock was telling her that it was time to get up, but she still felt tired. That had never stopped her before though.

However, the fact that half her body was off the bed made her pause. Then she felt the hand the was entwined hers, that was definitely new. Then she remembered last night and how she had stayed with Ezra until he had fallen asleep. Somehow she must have fallen asleep too. Looking at Ezra’s peaceful face she sighed. It had been good to help him. But she wished she could do more. She wanted to take away his pain and guilt. She closed her eyes for a moment then sighed. She had to get up. Sitting up she started pulling her hand away from his, but a groan stopped her.

“Don’t go,” Ezra said in a groggy voice.

She looked over and saw that his eyes were still closed. He was barely awake. “Ezra, I have a job to do.”

“Five more minutes,” he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand again.

She rolled her eyes. “You can sleep more, but I have to go.”

He opened his eyes slowly and looked at her. Something about his gaze froze her in place. “I won’t be able to sleep if you leave.”

She sighed. “Ezra, you look fine to me,” she said, but after a moment her resolve wavered. “I’ll stay for two more minutes, ok?” With a humph she sat back down on the bed.

A mischievous grin broke out on his face and Sabine tried to jump up again, but he lunged forward and started tickling her before she could get away.

“Ezra...stop,” she said in between giggles. She hated that he knew she was ticklish. He had stumbled upon the fact when they had been on a mission together many years ago. It was something she tried to hide from everyone, and the fact that he knew it and used it against her was quite annoying.

“I am the master of tickling. You cannot stop me!” He said, tickling her more. She grabbed a pillow and whacked him a few times, but as she laughed she felt her heart lightening for the first time in a long time. She had been stressed over leading a planet for years. Laughing was almost a thing of the past for her. She almost never unwound, but now she was. Ezra was helping her simply enjoy the little things in life again. Not only that, but he was also acting more like himself. Right now, the nightmares of last night didn’t seem to be bothering him at all.

She hit him a few more times then finally she lifted up her pillow, too out of breath to laugh any more. “I surrender, I surrender!”

Ezra laughed triumphantly - though he had been laughing quite a bit as well. “Yes! I win!” He flopped down on the bed and Sabine followed suit, staring at the ceiling as she got her breath back.

She heard movement and glanced over to see Ezra on his side looking at her. “What are you looking at?” She asked, reaching over to poke his chest teasingly.

“You,” he said simply.

That was different. She rolled over to her side so she could look at him. “And why are you looking at me?”

“I’m just remembering when we first met,” he said, but she could tell there was more to it than that.

“You mean when I warned you that Zeb would kill you if he caught you?”

He chuckled a little. “Yeah, I guess that was when we first officially met...I used to have such a crush on you. You know that?”

Now it was Sabine’s turn to laugh. “Are you kidding? Your flirting gave Kanan’s a run for his money.”

Ezra laughed a little more. “Yeah, but what would you expect, I was fifteen.”

“Why are you bringing this up now?” Sabine asked, wanting to get right to the point.

Ezra looked down for a second then looked at her again. “Back then I didn’t really understand what real love was. All I knew were crushes, and a faint memory of my parent’s love. But when I joined the Ghost crew...I found love again. I realized that it wasn’t some fairy tale. It’s hard and scary and confusing, but you fight for it no matter what. I learned to appreciate others for who they were and not what they could do for me. Then I lost sight of it again. The guilt of everything I blamed myself for…still blame myself for...I forgot what love meant. But then you reminded me of it again.”

Sabine narrowed her eyes. “Ezra what are you trying to say?”

“I just wanted to let you know. And to thank you, for all you did…” his voice faded and she knew there had to be more.

“And?”

He smirked. “You know me too well…”

“I do. Now spill.”

His eyes closed for a second, and when he opened them he was staring at her pointedly, emotion filled his gaze. “I think I might be in love with you Sabine.”

Silence filled the room. Sabine felt like she was frozen in time. She knew he had always had a crush on her, but she had never thought much about it. After a while it had seemed to fade into the background as they worked together more. If you had asked her if she liked him years ago, she would have denied it, and it might have been true. But as they grew she had gained respect for him. Then, when she had found out how he had turned to the dark, she had felt pain she had never felt before. She had fought everything to try to get him back. Herself, her instincts, everything that came naturally to her. Sometime during the course of the years she had come to appreciate Ezra. That appreciation had turned into friendship, which then turned into companionship. And now? Well she didn’t think she could live without him. In any sense. After all, she had refused to believe he was gone, despite what her common sense told her. And once again she ignore her common sense as she leaned forward and lightly kissed him.

“I think I might love you too Ezra.”

His eyes were wide with surprise and he seemed to be frozen on the spot. Then he shook his head and stared at her. “Wait...what? Really?”

Sabine laughed and she shoved his shoulder. “You never fail to amuse Ezra.” Then she rolled over and got out of the bed.

“Wait, Sabine!” He said, as he tried to scramble out of the sheets, only to get caught in them and fall on the floor.

She laughed again but waited for him to untangle himself and stand up.

“Are you serious, or are you just messing with me?” He asked, running his hand through his hair, trying to straighten it out.

“You’ll just have to wonder that all day. I’m gonna be late for ruling my planet.” And then Sabine turned on her heels and left the room, trying to suppress the grin on her face as she caught a glimpse of Ezra gawking at her. Oh she would never tire of teasing him, it was just one of the things she loved about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this fic! Here is to Season 3, may we all laugh, scream, and cry together!

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [dragonanne](http://dragonanne.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for making the amazing cover for this fic and for giving it a final proof-read!  
> And also thanks to [wondersmithofastronautalis](http://wondersmithofastronautalis.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta reader!


End file.
